Narnia's Last Defense
by tacobella18
Summary: Is Peter really the High King of Narnia? Well, it would seem for a brief moment he was King Edmund. Now he and Susan must save the High King before anything can happen to him. Confused yet? Good. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1: The Life of the Monarchy

Narnia's Last Defense

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Narnia. I just am 'slightly' obsessed with the universe of it all!

Summary: Is Peter really High King? Well, in this he is briefly King Edmund the Just. Now he and Susan must save the High King. Confused? Good. Rated T to be safe. Maybe later it will come in handy?

Authors Note: Hello, this is my first Narnia Fanfic! I'm excited! I have been a fan of Narnia since it was only a book series but recently I have learned of the beauty of fan fiction. I have three story ideas in my head, this one, another relatively long one and a one-shot. Should be interesting, this one. Or at least I hope it is!

Chapter 1: The Life of the Monarchy

The sun played at the edge of the balcony, threatening to release itself into the hills beyond. I knew better, in Narnia the sun seemed to stay out for more hours than it should, somehow scoffing that it can warm the land beneath it now instead of an endless winter. Its stubbornness never ceased to make me laugh, as it did now. Behind me, I could hear the sound of my all-too-heavy door open and close as quiet footsteps entered my room, trying to be non-conspicuous. It didn't work to well and I turned to see Lucy standing behind me in her long dress, bent over in an attempt to be sneaky.

"BOO!" she shouted as a last ditch effort to strike fear in me, knowing it was pointless, though it did cause me to be thrown into a fit of laughter. Her face was trying to be as scary as possible as she made ghostly motions with her arms. She straightened and adjusted her dress.

"Fine, sir High King," she said as sarcastically as possible, "your divine presence has been requested in our most humble throne room."

"Be there in a minute, Lu," I replied with the sound of laughter still on my tongue.

"Oh and Peter?" Lucy said as a strange look crossed her face.

"What?" I asked, feeling something was wrong and somebody was in troub-

"BOO!" A voice shouted as I felt myself being tackled to the ground. Lucy was on her knees laughing in delight as my attacker began to poke me in the stomach.

"… Got … you … good…" Lucy said in between spurts of laughter, watching as I rotated my body in a failed attempt to get my attacker underneath me.

"No, Ed, stop it!" I cried out as the pokes turned to the kind of laughter that made your side hurt.

The darker haired boy continued right until the point of annoyance. He was pretty good at that. We crashed to the ground with waves of laughter still hanging in the air. I struggled to get my breath as Lucy rolled next to me, giggling more than I.

"Pete, Ed, Lu, just when were you planning on attending the meeting that I called you to _ten minutes_ ago?" Susan's voice drifted above the laughter, a hint of smile in her voice. And no wonder, what a sight to see three royalties laying on their back, Edmund and I still swapping slaps and playful punches.

Lucy stood. Again she straightened her dress and looked at Susan.

"Oh Susan, I extend my deepest apologies to you," Lucy said with a giggle. Edmund and I exchanged grins and we knew what would happen next.

Suddenly, Lucy pushed Susan down and pulled her until she lay next to us. All at once, Lucy, Edmund and I attacked her with fingers gifted in the skill of tickle. Susan wriggled underneath and I knew she felt the same way I had before Edmund had stopped his attack. When we were done, Lucy and Edmund's fancy clothes looked as if they needed a long ironing job, as well as Susan's. Luckily, I had not known of the meeting and was still in my day clothes.

"Now look what you've done!" Susan squealed and tried desperately to fix the hopelessly wrinkled dress.

"Oh do stop, Su. We can just go change real quick, the world is not ending." Edmund said, looking at her incredulously and by his expression, I knew he too was wondering about the ways of girls and their clothes.

Just then, Oreius galloped into the room.

"Your Majesties," he began, "the assembled members of the council are awaiting your arrival. It would please them greatly to have you attend the meeting you yourselves set up, Your Majesties."

Susan bolted straight up and ran from the room, no doubt in an effort to change and look presentable before arriving at the meeting. Lucy, who did care about her appearance but was much more concerned about the members waiting for them slowly stood and exited the room, thanking Oreius on the way out. He smiled and turned to Edmund and I, still on the ground and not quite reacting with the speed of our sisters.

"We will be there shortly, general. Thank you for the reminder." I responded and stood to change. Oreius bowed and left the room. Edmund lingered.

"Um…Peter?" Edmund asked, clearly trying hard to remember something.

" What is it, Ed?" I replied as I walked to my table to retrieve my crown. When he hadn't quite answered, I turned around to face him. His hand rested on his chin and he was deep in thought.

"What… what is this meeting for… exactly?"

Edmund and I ran into the room as Oreius was explaining to a short faun that the Kings were running late. It was an amusing site and one that I laughed at promptly. Startled, Oreius turned to me and smiled, than turned back to the faun to announce our arrival.

"Its blind," Edmund stated.

Hurriedly, Ed and I took our seats in our thrones. This was a rather different place for a meeting to occur but the subject being discussed was quite large apparently and required many people to interrogate.

As the meeting started, we all sat up in our chairs, high and dignified and trying to be as royal as we could. Near the end, everyone but Ed had sunk into our thrones. I kept on watching Lucy to make sure she didn't fall asleep and Susan seemed to be dazed off in her own world, but thankfully she at least looked like she was staring at one of the people talking.

_Thank Aslan for Ed, _I thought. He was really taking in the conversation, noting at points that pertained to the throne and staying out when he needed to. He was born to be a leader. He looked at me and smiled, silently letting me know I didn't need to pay attention, he would fill us all in later. Gratefully, I tuned out the meeting. Really, it was all nonsense to me. I am sure later when I learned of it that I could deal accordingly with anything Edmund had not had the power to deal with himself, but there are few things that the High King has power over that the rest do not.

The minutes ticked on and I wondered just how long this meeting could last. Everyone just talked, but I guess that is the drawback of living with Talking Animals, they really don't know when to stop talking. Oreius would enter the conversation, but mostly the badger and the squirrel near the thrones seemed to never let many others talk. At one point, the quiet argument they seemed to be having shifted into a heated debate. Shocked and wanting to know what happened, I tuned back in.

"We need to take action NOW!" the badger roared at the top of his lungs.

"If you would just SHUT UP, we could talk about OTHER ALTERNATIVES!" the squirrel rebutted.

I struggled to look for Edmund and noticed he had left his throne, walking straight for Oreius. He whispered words in his ears, making sure the ones around him heard nothing. Now I felt like an idiot for tuning out the meeting, it was un-kingly and unprofessional.

"YOU," the badger spun and pointed his small sword in Edmund's direction, "What are you whispering to that centaur?" he demanded.

"Does it pertain to you?" Edmund shouted. "He is my general to discuss with. Do not overstep your boundaries, Mr. Kortlle."

He was all but screaming. Edmund hadn't lost his head like this since England. I knew something was wrong. I tried to catch eye contact with him but all he could do was seethe at Mr. Kortlle. This badger had to have said something to set him off.

"And you yours," the badger muttered.

"What do you mean by that?" I heard myself interjecting. "He is a King, not you."

Edmund looked at me, and I gasped. The pain was back in his eyes. The hurt, the guilt, the rejection. I mentally kicked myself for not listening to the meeting. He cleared his throat, eyes starting to glaze, and turned to the cursed badger. I felt anger creep in on me. This Animal had said whatever made Edmund feel this way.

"Thank you, Mr. Kortlle, for your… input. Also, thank you, Gahara." He said, inclining his head to the squirrel. "Trust me, we plan on dealing with this… problem, if it is one." The squirrel respectfully took a bow as the badger cursed and turned his back to Edmund, facing the sea. And with that, Edmund left the room. I looked to Susan and Lucy, who had come out of their half-awake states, and told them to see to the members, which was usually a job we all did. They nodded as I ran out the door to Edmund's room.

Surprisingly, I didn't find him in there as I had expected to. Instead, I found him on the highest balcony in the Cair. He sat on the railing, back leaning against the pole supporting the sides.

"Ed?" I said softly, not wanting to scare him. He sniffled a bit and turned his head in my general direction, not quite meeting my eyes. His eyes looked like glass, turning back to the sky. I took that as a good enough invitation and I came over to him.

"What did Kortlle say to you? In the meeting, I mean."

He took a long time to answer, trying to calm himself by the peaceful sky. It was already well into darkness, and I realized fully how long that dreadful meeting had taken. The stars twinkled and the moon shown, casting silver light on my brother's face.

"He… well…" He stuttered. He took a deep breath and seemed to breath in the stars around him. "He said I didn't deserve to be on the throne, that I should be thrown out. I-I didn't understand at first but then he said I should be killed, that no traitor should be King." Edmund turned his head down and turned to look at the ground as I took in what he had said.

I am sure my face grew red as the rage boiled up inside me. My fists clenched and I thought of all kinds of things that I could do to the wretched badger. Edmund looked at me with pain and dejection written all over his face.

"P-Peter… I think he is right…"

I reached out and grabbed his arm before he could say anything more. He slowly turned his head to face me, a single tear streaming down his face. I shook my head and boiled with anger.

"Don't even think that. You deserve to be here more than any of us."

"Peter, I betrayed everyone! I do deserve to die…"

"Stop." I said, seething and angry beyond comprehension. He met my eyes than turned away quickly, feared by my sudden reaction.

"HOW CAN YOU EVEN THINK THAT!" I screamed for all of the Cair to hear. He turned his head down. "Look at me Edmund…" He shook his head. "LOOK AT ME!" He turned his head quickly.

"We all forgave you, Edmund. Don't think yourself down another moment. You don't deserve to die! You killed the Witch, you proved yourself, so stop! If you don't think the forgiveness of the girls and I are enough, than think about Aslan. He is the King over all, and he forgave you! That has to mean something. If any of us ever should be King, it is you, you were made for this. Please stop killing yourself over one mistake. It doesn't define you, what defines you is that you came out of it and made amends. Please, Edmund, you are my brother, if nothing else just know that! You are _my_ brother and I think you deserve this more than any other person in the world, even me."

I was breathing deeply and my chest rose and fell in the effort. He looked at me as a tear rolled down his face.

"I'm so sorry, Peter." He muttered.

I calmed myself and wrapped my arms around him, engulfing him in a bear hug. He smiled and turned into me, leaning his head on my shoulder but refusing to cry. Typical Edmund. Lucy's small footsteps sounded behind me as she came and put her hand on Edmund's shoulder, which was shaking. She may not have known what was going on, but she knew something was wrong and she knew Edmund needed the comfort of his family. I looked down at her and mouthed to her to make sure the badger didn't leave. Lucy took the hint that this badger did something, nodded and walked off.

"Pete, I-I…" Edmund's small, frail voice trailed off. I shook my head and lifted him up. He looked me in the eye.

"Not now. Come on, let's go eat." I said as I smiled slightly. He grinned then suddenly it turned into his trademark smirk.

"Race you." He said as he took off.

"Not fair!" I screamed after him, running to catch up. It was a good run, but unfortunately, I had no chance. _When did Ed get so fast?_

I pulled up when I came to the balcony where we ate, almost barreling into Edmund. The servants were setting the table with food that made my mouth water. Okay, so all Narnian food made my mouth water.

"Ha!" Edmund shouted triumphantly, "This time the _girls_ are late!"

"No, Ed, _we_ have been here for half of an hour." Susan said as she rounded the corner, arms crossed but obviously in a good mood besides the fact. Lucy rushed from behind her to the table, turning quickly to look at Edmund.

"Can we please eat? I am positively going to _die_ if I don't get food in me!" Lucy pleaded, tugging at Edmund to sit down already.

"Really, Lucy? You are going to die? Did you hear that, Pete, this is a life or death situation! Hurry before we lose Lucy!" Edmund said mockingly with a smile as he sat down. Lucy followed suit, taking her seat and tearing at the food with as much ferocity as Oreius in battle. I laughed as I took my seat, watching as Susan took her time to make sure her dress would not wrinkle as she sat.

As Susan, Lucy and I tore at our food and Edmund picked at his, like always, a thought occurred to me.

"Hey Ed, what was the meeting really about? You know, besides what we talked about?"

Edmund smiled at me and put his food down. Not that he was eating it anyway.

"Well, first, remember that Mr. Kortlle is a Badger." I laughed at this. It was well known that Badgers were the worrisome types, always afraid. I stopped and let him continue.

"Apparently, Mr. Kortlle had overheard some dryads talking to each other. Being an Animal, he talked of dryad's political views and the such. I entertained him for a while, and this is when you tuned out of the conversation, Pete." Edmund said this with a smirk in my direction as I began to turn red. "Well, when I finally convinced him to move on, he said they began to discuss a group called 'The True Queen's Creatures'." At this he stopped when seeing our expressions.

All blood had left my face and I'm sure at that moment, I was translucent in the dark. Lucy's eyes had become saucers and Susan was dancing her bread between her fingers nervously. I looked to Edmund, surprised to see him stifling a laugh.

"Gahara said there is a group in the forest called 'The True Queen's Creatures' who plan to teach Lucy here how to handle weaponry in battle when she comes of age." He said with a grin. Lucy soon smiled as well and even looked excited to the prospect. Edmund laughed at our initial reaction and soon we dug into our food eagerly again, which of course excluded Edmund.

"Then what happened?" I asked with food in my mouth, which received a cold glare from Susan. I looked back to Edmund to see he had dropped his smile.

"Well, Mr. Kortlle said that I would try to dismiss the problem at hand because apparently since… since I was her traitor that I… I would surely side with the fell beasts. He…um… then said that I deserved to die and no longer be King because I am a traitor and I… I will just… you know… betray Narnia again…" He said, then sighed and looked to his food and began tearing into his food (an abnormal occurrence) nervously. Rage boiled in my veins and I clutched my fork tighter. How dare he?

"He WHAT?" Susan yelled as she rose from her chair, face red and anger coursing through her. Edmund looked at her, shocked and looking as if he were going to vomit, which might occur due to his sudden intake of food. I reached my hand out and stopped him from shoveling more food in as Susan paced the balcony. She turned to the door and stopped her pacing. "Where is that bloody Badger, I'm going to kill him myself." She muttered as she raced out of the room.

We all stared after her, surprised at the sudden anger. Susan had to be pretty mad to use that language, and the thought of her using violence? Unheard of! Lucy stood and strode for the door to find her sister. Edmund looked at something in his lap than sat up in his chair with a pale face and my hand on top of his still. He looked up at me and the look nearly crushed me; defeat and fear.

"Ed? I seriously doubt she'll kill him…" I said referring to Susan and the Badger… or badger in our minds now.

"No, that's not it…" he said, eyes drifting to the sky. "Pete, I-" he said, not able to continue as his chest rose and fell heavily. He turned his gaze to me and without any reservations; I rose to him and pulled him into a tight hug. Suddenly, I felt my tunic grow wet and knew he was crying. Now something was definitely wrong, Ed doesn't just cry for nothing, especially not this hard. Then I could feel him shaking in my arms with something not even the cold could bring him.

"Ed, what is it?" I asked panic riddling my voice. He was so small in my arms, and his shaking had become so aggressive that his whole body shook. Then I noticed something in his hand. All I needed to do was put my hand out and he handed it over. I shuttered at how weird this was, it was not Edmund Pevensie.

The thing in my hand, I found out, was a note in scribbled handwriting. I tried to think if he had it before, then realized out in the balcony he did. With one arm still around my little brother's shaking form, I awkwardly undid the bundle of paper and read.

_Hello, little "King". I suppose you feel smug with yourself for being on the throne still, despite our wishes. Well, due to the relative failure we have had with trying to get you off the throne without murder, we have come to the conclusion that we must take you out with force. Yes, we will be known as murderers in days to come, but we see this as a small price to pay to remove a traitor from the throne, one who would most assuredly care more for himself than the well being of Narnia and her subjects. We are even certain you are a danger to the true monarchs of Narnia and see this as confirmation enough that we can do away with you. As I have said in many other notes, I plan to eliminate you and I prefer that you don't tell anyone, for that would just cause unnecessary complications. So, Edmund the Traitor, we hope to see you again, and we hope you can be noble enough to take your death with dignity and not mount an attack on us. _

_Narnia's Last Defense_


	2. Chapter 2: Guard

Narnia's Last Defense

Disclaimer: I don't own the Chronicles themselves or Narnia. I just enjoy indulging the thoughts in my head.

Authors Note: Hello! Just uploaded my first chapter and this was actually part of it until I realized how ridiculously long it was I'm terribly sorry if Narnia's Last Defense sounds like the Free Narnians in King Bane. Don't worry, its nothing like the awesomeness of Ultra-Geek I hope people like my story and also I hope I do Edmund justice. I do love him so. Oh, and incase you didn't know, this is from Peter's point of view and there is NO slash. Ew, sorry if you're a fan of that… I guess you can just imagine? I personally don't like it. I don't know but this has no incest. And sorry for the lame name of the chapter… I'm not good at titles

Chapter 2: Guard

I was shocked and stopped breathing for a few moments. My stomach twisted and my hand instinctively touched the sword at my hip. My rage boiled and all I wanted to do was go kill something. Maybe Kortlle? _Oo, that may be fun_, I thought before realizing I was still clutching Edmund. Involuntarily, my hold on him became tighter and I had to hold back the sudden urge to rush him out of the balcony and into a window-less room guarded by 20 faithful guards or more. Then a sentence stood out to me and I turned Edmund's head to face me.

"Ed, just how long have you been getting these letters?" I asked with a voice I wished was stronger.

"Three weeks." He said in a voice that was barely a whisper. I tried not to unleash my anger on him. _Three weeks? Why didn't he tell me, Susan, Lucy, someone who could help?_ As if he could read my thoughts, he let out a quiet, "I thought I could handle it myself…"

"Edmund, these people want to kill you! Why would you possibly handle this on your own?" I asked with tears welling in my eyes.

"Because they said they would kill you or the girls if I did tell!" Suddenly his eyes widened as his voice became urgent. "Don't tell the girls! Don't tell anyone! They'll find out, Peter, they'll find out and kill you!" He dissolved into sobs again and buried his face into my chest as much as he could. He was terrified and it showed.

"Shh," I said as I rubbed circles in my back. He was muttering incoherent nonsense into my chest as I tried desperately to calm him down. "Shh, Ed, Shh. Look Ed," I said as I grabbed his chin again, "I will protect you. I won't let anything happen to you, okay?" He shook his head vigorously and looked me in the eye.

"I'm not afraid for me, Pete, I'm worried about you." He said in a voice barely above a whisper. I felt confusion pour into me.

"You have death threats and you are worried about me? Are you feeling okay?" I said as I placed a hand to his forehead.

"I know you Pete. Promise me something." He said and waited for me to respond, though I'm sure if I would have said no he would have made me anyway.

"What is it?" I asked expectantly.

"Promise me you won't jump in front of an arrow or drink poison or something rash like that just to save me. And don't give me that look, I know you would." He said as quickly as it could come out. I shook my head viscously but he didn't seem to want to let me win this one.

"Come on, let's go inside. I don't want you out here with people wanting you de- you know." I said as I turned to walk behind him, creating a human barrier of sorts between the outside world and Edmund.

"Don't change the subject!" He said as he spun around to stop our procession into the safety of the Cair. "Promise me. Now." His words were so determined that I knew right away. I couldn't deny him. His words, at this moment, were as good as law, so I nodded my head and gave in.

"I promise. Now can we please go inside, I really don't want you out here." Seeing the plea on my face and the own exhaustion inside himself, he nodded and began walking out of the balcony.

As we walked in from the balcony, Edmund became pale again, turned to the side and was sick. I again rubbed circles on his back and held his waist as he hacked up the food he had just eaten. Suddenly very light, I became alarmed and put my arm under Edmund's to steady him as we walked to his room. He didn't seem to mind, which also bothered me.

After slowly walking for what seemed like hours but was really only fifteen minutes, I finally managed to drag Edmund into his room. Along the path, he had vomited three more times and now was quite weak and pale. Being as careful as I possibly could, I slowly lowered him to his bed. Within minutes he was out, muttering about food and how he would never touch it again. I smiled and rose, walking out of the room and straight into Susan.

"Oh Peter, its you!" She said as she placed a hand over her heart. She then noticed my pale face, the vomit on my legs and the tear stains on my tunic. Frowning, she knew it was Edmund and promptly stepped around me into his room. Even in his sleep, he looked scared, and all I wanted to do was reassure him over and over again that he was safe. Susan walked to his bedside and stared into his face, noting the pain etching his features. Confused, she turned to me, demanding answers.

"Well-" I started than remembered what Ed had told me. About how the girls could be in danger and not to tell anyone. But then, it seemed this group, "Narnia's Last Defense", didn't want harm to come to the other three monarchs. So, with this thought, I looked Susan straight in her blue eyes.

"Edmund received a death threat." I said as plainly as could be. She gasped briefly before her face contorted with rage.

"Let's go get Lucy, we need to discuss this." She said matter-of-factly, starting her walk to the door. She seemed to think for a moment then turned back to me.

"No, you go get Oreius and set up guards to watch Edmund. I will go get Lu." She said, spun on her heels and was gone. And that was why she was the intelligent one, just not wise like Edmund. Taking one last glance at said brother, I walked into the hall and hollered until a very startled faun approached.

"Would you please bring General Oreius to King Edmund's bed chambers?" I asked as politely and kingly as I could muster. The poor faun, who most likely had thought I was in trouble, nodded shakily and ran to find the good general.

I walked back in the room and pulled a chair next to Ed's bed. It was nice to see him looking somewhat peaceful, if not for the fear that radiated from him. He mumbled even in his sleep, but I couldn't make out his words. I don't know how long I sat there studying his face but at some point Oreius' shadow poured into the room. I rose and stood to greet Oreius.

I told him the situation, at which he glared defiantly and placed a hand on his sword hilt, and I showed him the letter. Without having to say anything more, he called some centaurs in that I hadn't seen earlier and told them to set up a high guard. Oreius himself went to the balcony and stood guard there. I smiled gratefully as he looked back at first me, than Edmund. The gaze he had spoke everything to me, even if he had no words. He than turned back to the night sky to take his post.

Suddenly, Lucy ran in through the door at full speed, running to me and wrapping her arms around me. I looked at Susan, who had gracefully followed behind her. She shrugged and only said, "All I told her was that Edmund was in trouble. She wouldn't get out of bed until I said that." Lucy shuttered with tears, than broke loose from my waist to go to Edmund's side. She turned to me with tears streaking down her cheeks freely.

"What's wrong, Peter? And don't even try playing it down, I can see it in your eyes." She turned back to Edmund and laid her hands on his chest as if to check his breathing. So she had noticed his pained look as well.

It was hard for me to speak. I couldn't do it, tell my baby sister that someone wanted to kill Edmund. Susan, I could tell her because she was so old and… Susan. Oreius I could tell because he was an adult and I looked up to him. But Lucy? She was only thirteen, it felt like a sin to destroy the pureness within her. But when she turned her pale blue eyes to meet mine and another tear slipped down, I knew I had to.

"Someone…something… um…. Ed got a…"

"Someone wants to kill Edmund." Susan said behind me. Lucy's hand flew to her mouth and more tears flooded from her eyes. I reached down and held her close, letting her tears flood my shirt. I vaguely realized the puddle made from her tears had merged with Edmund's.

"Can't allow a fellow to sleep around here, can you?" A voice sounded from the bed in front of me. I jumped at the sound right next to my head as Lucy squealed and tackled Edmund, who had just sat up. I was soon to follow and I felt Susan hugging us all behind me.

As we let go, Edmund held onto my arm. He whispered into my ear a small "don't tell". I smiled and told him it's all right. I decided to let everyone in on what has gone on at the same time. Sitting in the chair again, I beckoned for the only other Creature I trusted at this moment to join us, Oreius. He called someone else to guard the balcony as he joined our small ring by Edmund's bed.

"Edmund got a letter from someone called Narnia's Last Defense. It's quite disturbing, it seems these people want Ed out of the throne so bad that they have settled to… assas- well, you know." Again a gasp sounded from Lucy as Susan put her hand on her younger sister's shoulder. I shuddered slightly as I continued. "Ed here has actually been getting letters from them for three weeks now (at this I shot him the Look that he knew so well as he smirked back) but hid it for our well being, because they have said they will kill us if we knew. Personally, I think this to be false because in the letter they said that one reason to take Edmund out was for our safety-"

"What?" Susan interjected. "How can anyone be ignorant enough to think that taking Ed can be SAFE for us?" Lucy looked to Susan and this time she was the one giving comfort to her older sister.

"Apparently they have no knowledge and needed to be educated. When we find them, we can make sure they learn something to make them more… intelligent." Lucy said with a smile. I snorted (in a rather unkingly fashion) and even Oreius laughed, but the reason most likely being that this terrorist group wouldn't make it that far, they would probably not survive when we found them. Susan even put a hand to her mouth in an attempt to stifle a laugh. Edmund was the only one who didn't make a noise, so I turned to look at him.

"I- I don't think they need to be educated. Isn't it rather obvious why they know I'm a danger to… well basically all of Narnia?" We all gave him a blank expression except for me. I had read the letter and by the way Ed spoke now, he must have been degrading himself down to their level. I spoke quickly partially due to rage and partially due to the urgency to cut him off.

"No, Ed, that is not true and you know it. That was past, not now."

"What if its not in the past? What if something happens and I do betray Narnia again? I would be a danger to not only you three but the rest of Narnia as well. How can you trust me not to do that?" He basically screamed. Both Susan and Lucy looked taken back, but only Lucy was crying.

"But you won't! I know you Ed and that's how I can trust you! If you were going to betray me, you would have done it in battle by now. But no, you have saved me countless times and you still want to know how I can trust you? You should be asking how you don't trust yourself, Edmund." The last part I said with a growl that quite shook Edmund.

"I-I can't. Not after what I did. I can't trust anything I do." He said quietly while looking at his lap. I threw my arm around his shoulders as I sat down next to him on the bed.

"But I do. So trust me to trust you. Okay?" I said gently, all traces of anger gone besides the boiling anger in my stomach that was reserved for the Narnia's Last Defense. He nodded gently to me in response and looked back to Susan and Lucy.

"I'm sorry." Was all he said, but they knew. They both flashed him brilliant smiles before turning to me and saying, "so who did it?" in unison.

"I don't know. Ed, who gives you the letters?"

"My valet, Stiole. He says he finds them tied to my balcony railing after I have gone somewhere. After the meeting he said he had found another one but I didn't get to read it until dinner."

Susan voiced the question in all our minds. "Kortlle?" I glanced to Edmund, who shrugged and said it could be a possibility.

"I just know it's not my valet, one time we had both left for a quick talk and came back and discovered it at the same time. He had no time to place it there." I nodded then he looked to Oreius.

"Can we write a warrant to find letters in Kortlle's possession? We can compare the handwriting to the letter I received." _Genius_, I thought, but of course this was Edmund.

"Of course, you're majesties. He lives near the Rush River, in the area designated to Queen Lucy, so she will have to sign the warrant." He said before bowing and going to have it done. Grinning from ear to ear, Lucy rushed out of the room to follow him.

"Edmund, you look exhausted! Sleep, now." Susan exclaimed as she got up to make sure it was done. He sighed a "yes mum" before ducking under the covers. I stood to go but he grabbed my arm and shyly asked if I could stay. I nodded with a smile and looked to Susan. She smiled right back and walked out. I quickly scrambled underneath the covers to lay next to me. He turned into me and I realized just how cold he was. I wrapped my arms around him and guarded him from whatever demons may come in the night. I listened to him fall asleep before following him.

Authors Note: I am sorry that was so lame. Don't worry, it gets adventure, I just wanted to display what happened before the adventure. I promise it will get better… and you will see just why I rated it T (grins mischievously)!


	3. Chapter 3: Infidels

Narnia's Last Defense

Disclaimer: No, I am obviously not an old dead man. Wish I was, but I'm not, so therefore I don't own Narnia.

Authors Note: Hola! Okay, so the beginning of this I already have planned out and if it doesn't turn out longer than I have planned than we shall receive some action in this chapter! Today, I was able to take my four-year-old brother to the movie theaters with me to see VDT… again. He was so into it and now he is crazy for Narnia! I couldn't be more proud! Woo hoo now for me not to be over zealous with words and little plot bunnies dancing in my head! I really hope I do Edmund justice by being in his Point of View in the beginning of this. And because I hate long Author's Notes…GO!

Chapter 3: Infidels

_It was cold. Yes, definitely cold. Something tugged at my leg as I tried to sit up. My hand slipped on ice and as I fell, my heart did too. I knew this place. I turned my head to take in my surroundings. It was Her dungeon. I screamed involuntarily as a hand shoved my shoulder. Turning back, I saw her. Her white face, her cursed hands, but worst of all, her eyes. They were little pits of darkness, two never-ending abyss' eating up all who looked into them. And with a curse I realized I was._

_ "Hello, my little Traitor." She said with a bite in her voice. I adverted my eyes and tried to concentrate. This had to be a dream. I could hear my name being called in the distance, and I was shocked to realize it came from another cell. I tried to wake myself but failed, so I did something weird, I tried to trick my imagination._

_ "How did I get here?" I asked, knowing my imagination wouldn't have an answer and I would be shocked from the nightmare. Yet all She did was smile, than she turned to the door as a Badger walked in. And not just any Badger._

_ "Mr. Kortlle, thank you for coming. I should think Edmund would want some company. I decided to give you the honors since you did bring him in." As she turned to walk away she called, "I shall hope to see much less resolve in his eyes when you're done, unless they are not open at all, which will be fine as well." And with that She swept from the room. Desperate to leave the dream, all I could yell was a repeated "Peter!" as Kortlle began to beat me. _

_ "Peter can't save you, boy." He spit as he talked. I looked at him wide eyed but confidently asked, "and what would make you think that, Kortlle?"_

_ "Because Peter is here." And with that single sentence, I knew I was done. The shouting of my name became louder and indeed it was Peter's. The Witch re-entered, dragging Peter behind her. And all he could do was call my name? I looked the Witch square in the eye._

_ "Release him, he did nothing." She smiled at my words than slapped my face. It didn't really hurt, all I could think of is what she had done to Peter, because she hadn't been in here with me. And all he could apparently think of was me because he began to scream my name again. "Please," I begged. Surprisingly, she did, letting him stand._

_ "Go, Pete." I said. He shot me a desperate look but instead of arguing, actually left. Mr. Kortlle turned to me and began to shake my shoulders, telling me this is what I deserved. And somewhere down deep, I think I believed him. The Witch came over to me and promptly hit me upside the head with a discarded icicle. Darkness encroached me and I welcomed it._

"Edmund, Ed, wake up, ED!" My voice burned from screaming his name. About ten minutes ago, he had started screaming and shuddering uncontrollably. I had shaken his shoulders but this had done no good. I repeated his name too many times to count but he couldn't leave this nightmare's death grip. I even slapped his face once, but all he did was grimace.

"Please, Ed, just wake up!" I cried as he began to shake harder. Where was he, in this dream? Suddenly, he jumped off the bed, still in his dream world. Now this I knew was dangerous, so I tackled him to the ground. He struggled and began to scream my name.

"Edmund, I am right here! ED!" I shouted desperately, as he cowered. I was shocked as he began to flinch and curl up into a ball. It was almost as if he was being tortured. Than he uttered a single question that shot my heart into my throat.

"And what makes you think that, Kortlle?"

It was then that the tears slid down my cheeks and I shook him harder. Than he began his mantra of saying my name again, but this time it had a hint of pain and sadness behind it. Abruptly, he was silent and didn't move. I looked to his face and knew he wasn't out of it. I struggled to get him to wake up. I slapped him again, shook his shoulders, everything. Just as I began to think I would lose him, he suddenly slumped over, face in my lap as he did so.

Gently, I nudged him up. Though his eyes were closed, I could tell he was out of the nightmare. Suddenly, his eyes shot open and took in my form as he threw his arms around me.

"Peter, you-you're safe!" He exclaimed as he buried his face in my tunic.

"Of course I am. I'm surprised that you are, the way that nightmare was going." He shook his head quickly. "What was it about?" I asked, even though I knew one key element.

"I- the Witch. She had me… in her dungeons. And I-I asked her how I got there and-and it was Kortlle. And he beat me but that wasn't so bad, you know? But then the witch brought you in. All I could think of was how she must of hurt you… oh Peter I was so scared. But she let you go and you left. And they began to beat me again but it was okay because they weren't doing it to you. But then she hit me in the head with an icicle." He said in one breath.

"Oh Edmund, I would never leave you," I muttered into his hair.

"I know, you git." He said as he hugged me tighter. All I could do was laugh.

"Sword higher, King Peter. King Edmund, more speed. And perhaps loosen your arms a bit. King Peter, watch where your shield is placed!" Oreius lectured from the side of the training grounds with his arms crossed. All I could do is laugh as Edmund and I fought against the guards that Oreius had assigned to "kill" us. Edmund had already "killed" three and I only one. Nope, make that two.

This was a competition of sorts between Edmund and I, to see who could take out the most creatures. And it seemed I was losing. So I did the only rash thing my pride could let me think of doing, I toppled to the ground. The guard who had been swinging at me dropped his sword with a clang as I heard Oreius gallop to me. Edmund was already next to me, removing my helmet and asking where it hurt. Desperately attempting to hold back my grin, I groaned and rubbed my neck, saying I was just sore. Edmund rolled his eyes and looked to Oreius, telling him I was fine and asking for a five-minute break. Oreius nodded and we took off to the gardens.

We walked to the apple orchard, allowing ourselves to be taken by the beauty in the little trees everywhere. One day, they would be huge, magnificent trees that would produce much fruit. For now, they were a place for Edmund and I to go to be alone. He pushed me down on a small wooden bench before sitting next to me, still panting softly from the brawl.

"You aren't really sore are you?" Edmund asked even though he already knew the answer. I just shrugged my shoulders in response. He smirked. "Cheater."

"Hey! I take great offense to that!" I exclaimed. Deciding it was the best course of action; I tackled Edmund to the ground. He let out a cry of shock as I landed on top of him as we thudded to the ground, armor and all. Despite his cries of "Pete, stop it!" he was laughing nonetheless. The sound was so beautiful, adding to the splendor already surrounding the place.

Suddenly, Edmund was tense underneath me. I got off of him and he sat up slowly, studying his surroundings.

"Ed, what is it?" I asked with fear dripping from each word. He seemed to have a sense of when something was going to go wrong. Remembering the letter from just last night, I tensed and searched the surrounding trees for any sort of disturbance. At least we knew it wasn't Mr. Kortlle.

Just before training today, Oreius had called us over, saying they had confiscated a letter of Kortlle's and the handwriting was nowhere near that of the letters. While it was a relief that this Badger was not attempting to kill Edmund, we despaired because now we had no real lead on just who this "Narnia's Last Defense" was.

I had the sudden urge to protect my brother so I did the only thing I could think of at the moment, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and slowly stood with my back to the relative wilderness while we walked back to the Cair. I wanted to break into a run, but I knew that would just expose Edmund, and I would have none of that. So for painful minutes, all we could do was walk slowly, being taunted by the safety that stood so close, yet so far. Ed shook as we walked, and he began to whisper to me.

"Pete, you okay?" He asked in his quiet whisper. I laughed gently at his courage, he was the one who obviously in danger. I kept my eyes trained behind me for any signs of the enemy as I answered with a "yah, you?"

He laughed, most likely at the lack of eloquence in my answer. "You don't want to know. Just scared like a stupid girl, I suppose." I squeezed his shoulders tightly as I kept my gaze behind us.

"I am too." I said simply.

"Of course you are, Peter, you-" his reply was cut off with a gasp. I turned my head sharply and now I had to gasp. For sticking out of his shoulder was an arrow shaft. Horrified, I grasped the shaft and yanked it out as he opened his mouth in agony but made no sound. His face turned to me as he waited for me to help. And help I did. I drew Rhindon, which was still at my side as Edmund drew his dagger, knowing he couldn't carry a sword in his condition. I stepped in front of Edmund protectively as he began to shudder. His condition was already declining.

"OREIUS!" I screamed the only name I knew would be near. He would have been on his was to us to bring us back to training, our break had ended minutes ago. Then, the creatures, or Creatures, attacked us, and I couldn't be more appalled. They all seemed to go for Edmund, but I wouldn't let them get anywhere near him, quickly slicing them down with all the fury that had been bottled up inside of me.

My mind began to work as I fought. Questions Oreius said we always needed to ask ran briefly through my head. _How did the enemy come here undetected_? That I had no answer to. How had such a large number of Creatures come into the gardens without being noticed? Than I realized what happened. They were noticed. These Creatures were able to come through Cair just as any others; they would never have been stopped or questioned. They could have easily hid their weapons and gone into the garden with no one to stop them. Who would suspect a group of Narnians, especially since the only living beings that were notified of the problem were Oreius, Stiole, Susan, Lucy, Edmund and I? Oh no, Edmund.

Directly behind me, I could hear his breathing growing ragged. He had his dagger in his hand but he wasn't in fighting stance, his hand instead covering the gaping hole in his shoulder. The dagger must have just been a show of strength though we both knew he had none. Desperation filled me and I shouted "OREIUS!" again. Apparently he wasn't anywhere near.

My rage drove me on, and I felt a strange twinge of pity for these Creatures. Then it was gone as I remembered all they had done and my brother and the rage consumed me again. I knew nothing except a strange satisfaction at killing these beasts. This had never happened in battle, I had never enjoyed killing, I just did it for the good of Narnia. But this, I felt so overwhelmed with anger that every blow that connected with a creature filled me with a dark joy. That joy shattered when I took notice of the most dreadful noise I have ever heard.

The connection of metal and ground.

"EDMUND!" I screamed as I spun around, flinging a jaguar from my sword in my efforts to kneel to the ground next to Edmund. He was fading fast.

"No, Pete, fight, fight…" he mumbled before his eyes rolled back in his head. I was crying but I knew he was right, I needed to fight off these creatures.

I roared an inhuman shout as I turned, driving my sword all the way to the hilt into a Bear. It cried out in shock but I didn't even process this, already flying into the next creature and cutting them down as if they were pieces of bread. And they very well may have been just that to me at the moment. I screamed and raved, despising these Creatures and silently vowing to kill each and everyone one of them for even _hurting_ Edmund. If he made it. I thrust through the crowd of oncoming attackers, striking and killing so quickly I must have looked like a flash of silver. My fury drove my motions and I was quite unaware of what I was really doing until a thought reached my head and stopped me in my tracks. I had drifted too far forward. Panic turned me around but I froze as I saw a faun already stooping down to pick up Edmund's still form. And there was about a dozen Creatures in between him and I.

A new wrath took me as I noticed the trap these things had set up. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't do a thing but scream obscene things at these infidels. Than my vision faded as I realized just before passing out that I had been struck in the back of my head.

Additional Author's Note: Mwahaha, cliffhanger! This chapter is way to long but I figured I should at least get some action in here for those who have been reading.


	4. Chapter 4: Sword Plants

Narnia's Last Defense

Disclaimer: Okay, we get it, I don't own Narnia. Stop rubbing it in

Author's Note: I hope this chapter doesn't turn out confusing, especially since this is all coming from my head and there is absolutely no forethought here. Let me know if it doesn't make any sense at all, my mind is a pretty scary place…

Chapter 4: Sword Plants

I awoke with a groan and a sharp pain where I had been hit in the back of the head. I quickly sat up before I even opened my eyes, the bump on the back of my head seeming to sigh in relief at the effort. When I did open my eyes, I gasped in horror at all the thoughts and events that came back to me. I took in my surroundings; it was a stone room, no windows, one entryway, basically a cell but no bars. In the far corner was a dark form; it looked as if it had just been thrown against the walls carelessly as I had been gently placed on the floor. Than my mind realized what, or more correctly whom, the dark form was.

"Edmund!" I shouted before I even realized he was unconscious. Blood pooled the ground around him but it looked mostly dried, as well as a smear on the wall, where he had probably cracked his head when they threw him. I rose slowly, feeling the blood rush from my head but not caring. Manacles were clapped around my wrists but my feet were not chained down so I made my way to Edmund, slowly at first but then I ran and slid down next to him. What I saw made my blood turn cold, than blaze in fiery heat.

His shoulder had been crudely wrapped and I got the sense that Narnia's Last Defense (who else would have done it?) wanted to keep Edmund alive just enough to suffer. There indeed was a split on his forehead that ran into his temple. His right arm stuck out in an odd way and he sported many bruises. I clenched my fists and tried with all my might not to strike something. The wall looked pretty appealing. Despite his wounds, they had still bound Edmund, but instead of manacles he had a tight rope that looked as if it dug into his skin. My eyes blurred in tears of acid. How could they possibly be so cruel?

Suddenly, Edmund twitched underneath me. I gently put my hand on his face, careful of the cut, and urged him to wake up. He began to moan but soon followed my command, his eyes fluttering open only to shut quickly in pain. I grimaced but couldn't be more happy that he was okay. He reopened his eyes and looked at me in pain and suffering. All I could do was wish for it to go away, and that fact alone made me even angrier because for once I couldn't do a thing.

Edmund's hands on my arm brought me back to the here and now. I gently sat him up, trying as best I could to use my tunic to clean his head, which was awkward due to the manacles around my wrists. I noticed he hadn't talked yet, so I broke the silence with a quiet voice.

"Ed, are you okay?"

I knew it was a stupid question. I knew he was anything but. But if he had the strength to at least lie to me about it, that would let me know that he was in a better shape than I initially thought. His answer was anything but reassuring. There was no response at all. I looked into his eyes to see his pupils dilated, and I knew he was concussed.

"I need to go… water the swords, Pete. I need to. If I don't water the… the swords, the swords, the swords, the… they will not grow… like the trees… I gotta go, Pete." He said, confirming my suspicions.

"Oh, no you don't." I said gently as he tried to rise off the ground, only to be laid low by the pain. As my manacle accidentally scraped across the cut on his temple, he winced. "Sorry" I said as I continued cleaning him up. As I did so, he told me not only of how the swords needed watering but also of how Lucy was really too hairy to eat potatoes and how cats make great milk. I couldn't stifle a grin as I continued with my work and his mumblings became quieter and quieter. While I was attending to his arm, he stopped talking completely and slipped into a much-needed sleep.

When I was finally finished with my brother, though I wished I could do something about… well all of his injuries, I decided I needed to sleep too. I lowered myself onto the ground gently, wrapped my arms around him and fell asleep to the sounds of his snoring. For some reason I dreamed of cat milk and sword plants.

I awoke with a start, pain emanating from my arm, shoulder and head. I sensed more than felt the large arms draped over me, at once recognizing them as Peter's. I heard a sound coming from behind me and instantly jabbed Peter in the stomach. He woke with a grunt but then smiled stupidly at me before kissing me on my forehead. Completely disgusted, I raised my hand to my forehead before realizing the other was coming with it, than I noticed the rope around both. Suddenly, all the recent events poured into me and I realized what must have happened after I was unconscious, somehow they had managed to stop Peter and capture us both. A twinge of guilt shot through me.

"Good morning to you, sleeping beauty!" Peter exclaimed excitedly.

"And why are you in such a good mood, Mother Hen?" I asked with a smirk on my face that instantly dropped when pain rushed through me. Peter dropped his gaze and looked as if he was going to cry.

"You've been out for five days. One night, someone moved us, I guess, because one night we were there and now we're here. It feels like we're on a boat, I can feel it rocking. Ed, I was so worried." He said and than put his head on my shoulder.

"Peter, are you hurt?" I asked. He didn't look it, but I just wanted to be sure. He bit his lip quickly before continuing.

"No. They never did anything to me. They would carry me into another room when they decided to torture you, and that room was stuffed with food. I brought some back for you but you were so badly concussed that you could barely keep bread in your mouth." And than his voice dropped. "I thought they were going to kill you, Ed. They liked to see you suffer so much." Tears started seeping down his face. I did the only thing I was able to do since my hands were tied, I kissed his head and dropped my head to his shoulder.

"But I'm not dead. Its okay." I said as comfortingly as I could. Peter's shoulders shook beneath me and his tears flowed freely. "And you know what?" I continued. He looked up expectantly. "It doesn't even hurt. Sure there is pain, but your okay, so its all right. Thank Aslan you are all right, Pete." I said. He smiled up at me.

"Are you sure _you're_ not mother hen?" Before I could think up a smart remark to say back, someone walked in behind Peter. And this someone was a human. Peter gasped slightly and I looked to him as he paled. I'd ask him later.

"Hello, _kings_." He spit. "I am Thoran, your… guide, if you will. Now tell me, which of you is the High King?"

Author's Note: Did it again! Except this cliffhanger isn't a very good one


	5. Chapter 5: High King Edmund

Narnia's Last Defense

Disclaimer: Really, if I one day own Narnia, I will let you know. For now, I own none of it. At all.

Author's Note: Alo! (That would be hello in Romanian ) So I continue with this story. I have to warn you, this story might get confusing. I am also starting a new one (in the process of writing) based on an amazing video by EscapingTheDarkness called Ghost of Me (but I don't think that will be the title I use). I am only using a part of her idea than turning it into my own; so expect to see that soon, okay I hope you can expect to see that soon. Anyways, I lastly wanted to thank all of you who have reviewed (you guys are so nice and make me smile) or those of you who just read it, because that is okay too. And, I shall now stop my rambling and continue the story.

Chapter 5: High King Edmund

I signaled quickly to Peter, silently begging him to stay silent. If this imbecile didn't know who the High King was, well maybe it was best to stay that way. Peter looked back at me with fear in his eyes, silently mouthing that these were not the people who took us. I sat in shock and was about to silently respond when Thoran gave me a sharp kick to the chest. I breathed deeply, trying to pay attention as pain and nausea swept over me. I was certain he had at least bruised one of my ribs, if not broken. And with the state I was in, it really didn't matter which was which. Through the pain, I managed to turn my head to look into his face and gave him a look of unbreakable resolve.

"Answer me!" Thoran exclaimed in anger at both our non-responsiveness and the conversation we had just had with each other that he obviously couldn't make out. Daft was the only word that came to mind with this man. Maybe, unintelligent and imbecile as well.

Peter looked at me swiftly but I shook my head vigorously, not wanting these people to hurt Peter for being High King. He nodded his head slightly than closed his mouth, showing Thoran that he was unwilling to answer. Said man looked as if he was going to hit Peter but thought better of it when another man stepped into the cell.

"So you don't seem to know your own names?" The newcomer said. Thoran seemed to shrink back and I got the idea that the newcomer was the leader of… well whatever my brother and I had gotten into. I gave him a short, defiant glare than looked back down to Peter, who was even more anxious than before.

"Look. I really only want the High King. If you would kindly tell me which of you is the High King, the other gets to go home, okay. I promise on my Sailor's Word. I really only want the High King." As the man finished, Peter looked at me with a look I knew. When he was thinking of doing something too overly noble. I gave him a harsh look than decided on my next course of action. I couldn't let them have the real High King.

"Well, I would have hoped you would know the High King when you saw him. Now," at this point I sat up straight and swallowed any pain that came up, incredibly keeping myself from wincing, "what is your business with me?"

Peter couldn't have shot his head over faster. "No, I am the High King!"

"That's something you would say, Edmund." I said with an accusing glare. Good thing I was such an excellent liar. Unfortunately, since Peter was actually telling the truth, it sounded as if he was, too.

"Ed, shut up! Do you _want_ to be killed?" He then turned and looked the leader right in the eye. "I am High King Peter."

"And I am King Lune." This time I looked the leader precisely in the eye and gave him my most noble face. "I am High King. You must excuse my brother, he tends to be too overly noble at times."

Before Peter could retort, the leader called for silence. Peter shot me a nasty gaze before the man began speaking again.

"Apparently, you two need to discover who you are. NLD must have hit you in the head too many times. So please, be ready with your answer as to who is the High King when I next arrive." And with a slight flourish, the man and Thoran walked from the room.

"Edmund, how can you be so incredibly stupid?" I asked as my voice rose. "You can get out, you can be free." I looked at him for only a moment before raising my hands in the air and ranting some more. "How can you be so stupid?"

"Pete," Edmund began as he looked at me thoughtfully. During my entire tirade, it was as if he didn't hear any of my words. "He said NLD. Do you think that could be Narnia's Last Defense?"

Still outraged by what he had done but knowing he would not stop trying to get his point across until he did, I submitted, nodding slightly.

"He said they were the ones who hit our heads too hard. So that means they aren't part of Narnia's Last Defense." His words soaked into me and I looked at him. He was sitting on the floor, still leaning against the wall for support of his all-too-weak body. I was standing in front of him where I had been pacing but now had stopped, struck with the simplicity of the thought.

"So, NLD must have been the ones who brought us here and given us to… to… whoever these people are. It explains why they never harmed me and enjoyed hurting you so much. But why would they give us to people who want me?" At this, Edmund had no answer. He tried standing so I rushed to him and helped him up. He looked at me gratefully before leaning against the wall again. He didn't look too good.

"Ed…" I said, not knowing what to say as I remembered the spear shaft that had been sticking out of his shoulder. It made me shudder. He looked at me with a soft gaze before leaning his head in my direction. In a hushed whisper, so I had to bring my head closer to him, he spoke.

"I'm sorry." He said. Just as I was going to ask him for what, I felt fists connect with the side of my head and I collapsed to the ground, feeling darkness closing in. As I drifted out of consciousness, I realized it had been Edmund who had hit me.


	6. Chapter 6: Troubles for King Edmund

Narnia's Last Defense

Disclaimer: Don't own Narnia, Don't own the Pevensies. I do own Thoran and Zoheram, but they aren't nearly as fun…

Author's Note: Merry Christmas! Yes, I am writing this story on Christmas Day but I love it so much and I did get some stuff for my laptop. I love writing, so it is all okay . Anyways, sorry to leave you with a mysterious cliffhanger of sorts, though if you know Edmund, it shouldn't be much of a mystery. Also, I managed to get the prologue up for my new story, _Deepest Magic_. I like how it turned out and I will be writing more, but no, it will not stop me from writing this. And now, as everyone tells me to shut up and they all strangle me, time for the story! And yes, another lame chapter title

Chapter 6: Trouble For King Edmund

In the darkness, I struggled to wake up. My subconscious knew what was going on, even if I didn't, and all I knew was I needed to wake up. And fast. I tried so hard to come out of it, but as my struggles proved futile, all I could think of was how strong Edmund had been, despite his injuries and lack of food.

I could hear small glimpses of the people who had him. Something about the High King and King Edmund and the Tisroc and something else, but it was so hard to hear. I could feel water lightly playing on my skin and something down deep told me I was too late_. Too late, since when have I been too late? I can stay here in the darkness, I will be fine._

A gentle roar forced my eyes to pry open. Though it was painful, I knew if Aslan wanted me to wake up, than I needed to wake up. Now. I finally took a look at the first glimpse of my surroundings, the clear blue sky. _Wait, the blue sky? Where was the cell?_

My thoughts were interrupted when I was able to realize that other men where in a small place with me. And we were bobbing like Lucy's hair. I gasped with epiphany. We were on a small rowboat. I sat up quickly and to my surprise, my head didn't object as I thought it would.

"Oh, hello King Edmund." One of the men closest to me said with a smile.

"King Edmund? Again, I am High King Peter!" I said before thinking to consider why I was in this rowboat and Edmund was not. And why they called me King Edmund. I groaned as I realized exactly what had happened. "I'm going to kill him." I muttered.

"What?" The second man dared to ask. I stood then, searching for any sign of a large boat or _anything_ to tell me Edmund's location.

"Oh, your highness, you mean to say whoever dared to injured you? I have not the slightest idea of who that may be but when you find him, I will most certainly help you in your plight. I don't enjoy seeing someone in pain, even if he is my enemy, King Edmund."

I took in these men for the first time. They were dark tan, like the men on the boat, but these men looked something else, kind. It was then I realized they were Calormen.

"I am sorry, but where did you find me? I would greatly appreciate this knowledge as it is important I go back at once." The two men looked bewildered, until the first leaned in close to me.

"Sir, we found you washed up on the beach. It seemed as if someone had left you there, so my friend and I wanted to help you get back to wherever you came from. A man from a nearby docked ship said you were King Edmund and you needed help right away. Normally, we don't enjoy helping Narnians but we couldn't help a man in trouble. We are almost to the Cair as we speak." Ice-like fear twisted in my stomach.

"Did you happen to notice if this man had another?" I asked quietly.

"No, he was alone. He left shortly after we did, I believe, but I can't say I know which way he may have gone." My heart sank to my stomach and I fought back the urge to tear out of the boat, no bother that we were almost to the Cair and had no idea where Ed-High King Peter really went.

"PETER!" I heard a familiar squeal sound from the beaches by the Cair. I got out of the boat slowly; still numb about what had happened. My mistake. I was soon tackled by two very shaken sisters who were proclaiming they had never been more scared in their lives.

"King Edmund!" One of the Calormen who had helped him called. I vaguely remembered that was I and looked up. "YOUR POCKET! THE MAN SAID THERE WAS A LETTER IN YOUR POCKET." And then the man was too far out in the sea for me to respond. The girls looked incredulously at me and Lucy was the first to ask.

"I say, where is Edmund?"

"And Peter, do tell, um… why did those Calormen just call you King Edmund?" Susan asked before I could even answer Lucy's question. They both knew that both questions were answered the same way.

"About a week ago was when we went missing?" I asked, avoiding their looks.

"Yes Peter, now what happened?"

"We were in the garden when someone shot Edmund. Then we were ambushed. I tried to protect Ed, but soon he was down, the shot was a really deep. I still tried to protect him…but… my rage got the best of me. It was my fault. We were separated, and I saw the faun take him but I _couldn't help him_. I am a terrible brother, this is my entire fault."

"Oh, Pete, I am sure you tried your hardest!" Susan cried out. Lucy had actually been pale since the mention of Edmund being shot and said nothing now. Susan reached out and hugged me, and soon Lucy did too, still looking distant, but I couldn't feel relieved. There was someone missing.

"What happened next?" Lucy asked in a hoarse voice. I struggled with this part.

"I woke up in a cell of sorts. Someone had laid me nicely on the floor. But Edmund…" at this I had to swallow a lump in my throat, "…they had thrown him against the wall. I won't ever forget it, when I first went to him. There… there was a lot of blood on the floor. They had wrapped up the gaping whole in his shoulder just enough for him to live. They had cracked his head when they threw him… some more blood for that. His arm, oh arms shouldn't look like that. And he had a concussion. I had manacles on, but h-he had ropes that cut at his skin. I held onto him as much as possible, but many times the BEASTS took me out of the room and gave me food. When I came back, Edmund was always in a worse shape than when I had left. And he still had a concussion." My voice was almost a whisper. A single tear slid down Susan's cheek.

"While he couldn't do anything? He had a concussion? How could they be so _cruel_?" The not-so-gentle Queen said with a fire in her voice. I shook my head at a loss for words. Suddenly, Lucy spoke up.

"How badly is he hurt?" She said and I could tell she was desperately trying not to break down.

At this I had to smile. "We were moved to someone else one night. We went from being in the 'care' of the NLD to Calormen. All they wanted was the High King." Susan arched an eyebrow. "Edmund, he said he was the High King for some insane reason. I tried telling them that I actually was the High King but the Captain didn't know who to believe. As we talked about our predicament, Ed told me he was sorry and promptly hit me upside the head, shoulder wound, broken arm and all." I shook my head. "I just don't get why he gets the sense to be so… so…"

"Overly noble?" Susan supplied. I nodded. "He is absolutely idiotic, and now he is going to get himself killed. I don't even have the slightest idea where he is. How could he be so stupid?"

"Peter, if you had been in Edmund's situation and you in his, wouldn't you have done the same thing? To save Edmund?"

"Well of course! I would do anything to protect any one of you." Than I realized what Susan was saying and I had to blush a little.

"I get why he did it." Lucy finally piped up. I looked at her and frowned, because I knew she met something else besides being overly noble.

"He is protecting Narnia. If they had the real High King, they could do whatever they wanted with Narnia. Edmund will probably play it out till the very end before admitting that he is not High King and therefore can't do… well whatever they want."

Than a fear settled into me and wouldn't let me go. "Once they find out he is not the High King, they will be so angry, they will kill him. We need to find him. Now." Neither sister could have agreed more.

"Oh, Peter! The letter!" Susan exclaimed, referring to what the Calormen had said earlier. I nodded and tore it from my pocket in my haste. I opened it as quickly as seemed humanly possible, but I slowed considerably when I read the content.

_Dearest King Edmund, the Just:_

_Oh, how fitting that you should be called the Just, because I have a proposition that any just man would make. As you have seen, I have taken the High King with me and made sure you made it back to your homeland. I require money in exchange for the High King. At first, I had thought, why not sell you both to the slave trade? But then I came across a most fantastic epiphany; you are not the only ones who want the High King. So, I want to do a bid of sorts. Either you give me part of Narnia for my fellow men and I or I shall begin the sale. And let me tell you, the Tisroc, may he live forever, the Telmarines and a certain Hag from your own country have shown extraordinary interest. Apparently, the High King is very important. This is why I let you go, King Edmund. It seems not only can you spread the news of our 'ransom' but also no one wanted to buy the second in command. Thus my choice of High King Peter. So, King Edmund, just how much do you feel for your brother?_

_Zoheram_

Authors Note: So, again it seems I am leaving you with a terrible letter. The next chapter I plan on showing Edmund's point of view after he hits Peter. If there is enough room, I will go back to Peter, Susan and Lucy and see their reaction to the letter but if not, the chapter after, I promise.


	7. Chapter 7: My High King

Narnia's Last Defense

Disclaimer: Is it not obvious that I don't own Narnia? Because, really, I don't. I do own Orac, which slightly scares me as he stalks my sleep O.o

Author's Note: Hello to all! I just read an awesome fan fiction (incredible!) and realized I should probably work on my own! So here it is, hope you enjoy . Oh, also I would like to EXTREMELY thank all my reviewers. Every time I read your comments, my day is brighter, you all are too nice! So again, thank you! Last Note, this is in the POV of Edmund. I am sorry for not putting Peter, Susan and Lucy's reaction to the letter in this but I felt that it was obvious, and this plot was pulling at me, so I had to write it. I also would like to warn you that if you have a sick stomach, you might want to be careful. And this, children, is another reason why this story is rated T. It will get pretty gory.

Chapter 7: My High King

"I'm sorry." I said as I swung my fists as fast as I could. Flesh connected with his skull and I saw him drop. Even though I did it to save him, I still didn't like to hurt my brother. The pain in my shoulder and arm reached an unbearable level and I was forced to the ground, fighting back waves of increasing anguish. I was tempted to vomit but I knew that wouldn't be very smart, considering the very small amount of food I was given. So instead, I grit my teeth as my eyes watered and my body shook. I barely noticed Thoran and his captain enter the room until they were directly in front of where I was crouched on the ground, leaning against the wall.

"Hello. Have you decided which of you is the High King?" The captain asked. He looked down at Peter briefly than returned his gaze to me.

"There never was a decision. I am the High King; my brother was just concussed. That is why he is on the ground now, the concussion finally knocked him out. When he awakes, I am sure you will find that he is aware of his identity again. My deepest apologies for the confusion." Somehow during my explanation, I had managed not to look weak as pain ravaged my body. This paid off because the captain nodded to Thoran.

"I understand completely, I actually have a brother of my own. I bet he wanted to save you, so it is lucky he is out now. Thoran here will take him to the shore and make sure someone takes him home safely, I give you my Word." At this, the captain placed his hand across his heart. At my curious look, he explained.

"A Sailor's Word is better than a promise. It is never broken, as an oath may be. The only way a Sailor's Word can be broken is death or true physical incapability. I assure you, good king, your brother will not be further harmed." At his words, I sighed with relief. It was deep and weighed down by the situation, and with the release, I felt an unknown calm come over me.

"Thank you, good man." I said in my most kingly tone as Thoran bent down to pick up the still form of my brother. I thought he might wake up when his arm twitched, but he went limp once again. _Thank Aslan_. Thoran then left with Peter- or Edmund- safely in his arms. And I knew he would be safe, because I felt no fear.

"Good man, you now know my identity, but I still have yet to learn of yours." I hated calling this man 'good man' but I felt I must considering his promise of safety for Peter.

"My name is Zoheram, Captain of the ship you are on right now, the _Lady Luck_. "

"If you do not mind me asking, Captain Zoheram, what do you need me for?" I asked. This is the question that bothered me the most. It could not be something to do with Calormen as a whole, because the Tisroc knew the identity of each of us. Actually, many of our closest allies and deepest threats knew the difference between the High King and King. So, I had narrowed down that this man and his allies had never left Calormen before and have never seen or heard many descriptions of me and my brother, or at least any that may involve what we look like. But with this revelation, I was puzzled as to why this band of men needed the High King. It couldn't be just to kill him, because they would have taken the opportunity and killed King Edmund as well. It may be something diplomatic, as signing something over, but they should know that the High King would not bow to threats at the expense of Narnia.

"In good time, king. For now, I need to go tend to some of my men." As Zoheram turned to leave, he looked as if he was struck with an idea.

"High King, I do believe I have something to do for you at this moment." I have no idea why, but an icy fear crept up my spine and wrapped its fingers around my throat. And apparently I had good reason to fear. Zoheram whistled and soon, a large man walked in. He was so large he didn't look human, and I had to wonder if he was part Ogre.

"Dearest Orac, I do believe the High King needs something to… occupy him." He said with a grin. Orac realized Zoheram's implications and drew out an ugly laugh, revealing yellow, teeth that all looked to be sharpened. He left the room but just as quickly reappeared, grasping in his hand a club. _I knew it, he is part ogre_, was all I could think as Zoheram left the room and shut the door behind him. I struggled to move out of this behemoth's path, but my shoulder and arm kept me from moving quick enough, as well as my hands clasped together in front of me. In my attempts to get away, Orac herded me into a corner. As I felt my back hit stone, my heart dropped and I took a deep gulp of pure terror. Orac began to run his finger over the wood in the club and I noticed just how meaty these fingers had been. This was the first time I was awake and tortured since the Witch's dungeons and as I looked at Orac's face, his features stretched until they resembled that of the cursed Witch herself. And she smiled down at me, causing my breath to cease. I closed my eyes and waited a few moments before I reopened them. I am absolutely sure I preferred the face peering at me, the face of Orac, to the demonic grin of the Witch.

I straightened my back, no matter how much it pained me, and thought of what Peter would do. Peter would find a way to be magnificent through it all, he would show no fear, he would stand his ground. He would be a King. I looked Orac right in the eyes, determination radiating from my being. I calmed my breathing and the beating of my heart. He growled at me in return, but did lower his eyes from my gaze. I felt empowered. I could sense Peter sitting next to me, hand on my shoulder and backing me up all the way, as though he was there but could do nothing. Frustrated, Orac lifted his club and slammed down on my leg with incredible strength and a bone-splitting crunch. Nausea rose up and my vision clouded. I saw red, but I swallowed the bile and made my vision return. I was a High King, after all. The femur in my thigh was no longer in its proper place and I could feel the split bone raise at the crack, hefting into my unprepared muscles and a new wave of pain hit me. But I stood my ground. I lifted my eyes to Orac and glared at him, refusing to break or shed a tear.

Orac was seething, foam spewing from his mouth. My act had worked; he didn't believe me to be in pain. He slipped to the floor and grabbed the injured leg in both hands, each meaty flab of meat easily wrapping around my thigh. With a devilish grin, he re-set my leg, with a crunch as the fragments of bone crunched together and the split pieces rammed against each other. Oh, Aslan it _hurt_. I groaned inside and felt the world threatening to slip. But I couldn't succumb to the darkness, so I defiantly stayed my ground, teeth grinding and jaw set. Peter's presence embraced me and his head lowered to my uninjured shoulder. He was crying for me, and I felt that he was breaking so I didn't have to. This presence had yet to remove from his seat, as if bolted to the ground. It couldn't speak, as well, but he didn't have to. Peter's presence was my silent strength.

I returned my thoughts to Orac, who had noticed that I was still un-broken. He hadn't removed his hands from my thigh. His face began to grow red and spittle spewed from his mouth. If he had the choice, I am sure he would have killed me at the moment. He began to rub the two sides of my femur against each other, and I could feel the grinding, fragments from this horrid act flying to my muscle. At this I did cry out, but only once. I winced and shut my eyes for a moment. Peter's presence began to cry harder and rubbed my back. I could feel my world fading_. Aslan, give me strength_. As these words left my thoughts, I felt another presence on my other side, and noticed Aslan. Even if he was just a presence, as Peter was, I took power in him being there. I looked into his eyes, these being full of despair, and felt I must continue. Warmth radiated from him and a mysterious calm entered my being, though the darkness continued playing on the edge of my vision.

Orac growled at me, but he knew when to stop. After all, whatever plans these men had for me, I got the feeling that they needed me alive. He stood and hefted his club onto his shoulder. As he reached the door, he turned to look at me. I lifted my chin and stared at him, resolve and the strength of Aslan unmistakable. I would not crumble under this beast. He seethed but said nothing as he left the room and the door shut with a loud slam. I slumped and leaned my head back against the wall. Peter's presence threw his arms around my neck and cried, and I leaned my head atop his. Aslan's presence nuzzled my upturned cheek slowly and he, too, began to cry. All the pain I had felt returned and I moaned loudly, feeling the first of a few tears leak out of my eyes. I shuddered and the darkness started to grow bigger. I clasped Aslan's paw with my injured arm and wrapped my other arm around Peter's shoulders. Than, the world was ripped from me and I felt myself fall to the ground, rushing to the darkness in much needed relief.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I was trying to sleep, really. Lucy was on my chest and her breathing calmed me slightly. Susan was snuggled to my right side and I welcomed her warmth. I wanted to sleep, needed to sleep. We were to have a counsel tomorrow, against my wishes to rush with a large army and blindly try to find Edmund, and I needed to be focused for it. As I watched Lucy's chest rise and fall, I finally felt myself enter the beautiful world of sleep.

_I recognized the small room instantly as Edmund's and my last cell aboard the boat. I was sitting next to Edmund, who appeared to be in a corner, fear etched in his face. I followed his gaze and gasped, for there was quite possibly the largest excuse for a man I had ever seen. And he had a club. I also noticed a face basically seen only in battle, the lust for pain and blood. I quickly tried to stand and defend Edmund, but I found my legs would not move. Seeing Ed shaking, I placed my hand on his shoulder and tried to reassure him, only to find I couldn't talk either. As Edmund straightened and looked more kingly than I could ever hope to be in the face of such threat, I felt a jab of pride enter me. _

_ Than the large man lifted his club high in the air and brought it down on Edmund's leg with forceful strength. I winced at the sickening sound Ed's femur made when the club made contact with bone. Edmund didn't even flinch and he looked even more majestic than before, defiantly glaring at this ogre-human creature. It was angered beyond belief and it quickly lowered to the ground by Edmund's leg that he had just broke. I tried to kick out at him but realized I was incapable of this act. Than the behemoth did something that made me want to vomit, he reset it with a painful push that was much too hard to be good. Edmund still glared and I couldn't have found the words to describe how proud I was of him even if I did have words. His thoughts filled my mind and two words broke my heart, with the anguish and pain that was behind them. '_Oh, Aslan_.' I began to cry as I realized the pain that he was going through. I wished beyond reason that I could be in his place, but it wasn't even possible to do this. I lowered my head to his shoulder and my own shoulders shook as tears flowed freely from my eyes. _

_ I turned my head and looked at the beast in front of Edmund. I would destroy him, and his death would be full of agony. His eyes bulged out of his head in anger and he grabbed Edmund's leg again. Then with a sickening crunch, I realized he was grinding the bone pieces together. Edmund let out a groan and winced. I felt my heart break in two at the agony in the small groan. The tears in my eyes couldn't have fallen faster and I rubbed Ed's back, the only thing I seemed to be able to do. His thoughts again reached me. '_Aslan, give me strength.' _I felt him breath in deeply and peered around him to see none other than the great lion himself. _

_ Thankfully, the scoundrel ogre-human stood to leave. At the door he turned, and I didn't have to look at Edmund's face to know he had glared right back at the monster. If I hadn't been so destroyed by what had happened, I would have been smiling. I could feel Edmund slump against the wall and I quickly threw myself against him and engulfed his neck. I felt his head lower onto my own and his arm snaked around me. I couldn't help but notice that it was terribly weak, as if it took all of Ed's strength to hold onto me. I vaguely noticed his hand clasp Aslan's great paw as the Lion nuzzled Edmund's cheek. _

_ Suddenly, Edmund slumped to the floor and I realized he had passed out._

_ "EDMUND!"I could feel myself screaming his name in both worlds. Aslan placed his paw on my shoulder and whispered in my ear. "Strength, Peter. Stay strong, for Edmund will need this in the days to come." And with this, he vanished. _

I felt my shoulders being shaken and I realized I was being torn from the vision. I clasped Edmund's limp hand one more time before the vision faded completely and I opened my eyes to Lucy's face.

"Peter, its alright!" She was staring into my eyes, no doubt to make sure I was awake. I quickly wrapped my arms around her and cried into her slight shoulders. It felt like the vision, her shoulders similar to those owned by Edmund.

"Shh, Peter, it was just a dream." I shook my head vigorously and looked her in the eyes.

"It wasn't just a dream, Lu. It was a gift from Aslan."

Author's Note: Did you like it? Just to let you know, neither Peter nor Edmund have lost their minds, Aslan has allowed their presence to accompany the other during sleep. With that said, I hope you enjoyed!


	8. Chapter 8: Counsel

Narnia's Last Defense

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia. I do own a pair of fluffy socks!

Author's Note: I know, I should be updating Deepest Magic. But I really wanted to work on this. Maybe I will write a chapter after I write this? THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING! I love to see the reviews when I go to update this, and it makes me feel awesome! Anyway, I stop my rambling and continue with the story!

Chapter 8: Counsel

I really hate counsel. We have some of the most intelligent beings in Narnia here and all they can do is get nothing done. We haven't even started the meeting yet, the members _insisted_ that they be given tea and have a proper luncheon before. Not that Susan and Lucy mind in the slightest, it just seems like a waste of time. The members don't know of the situation, we must make them swear an oath of secrecy before we discuss what is going on so chaos doesn't ensue.

_I REALLY HATE COUNSEL!_

I was in the throne room by myself for the time being, my stomach hasn't allowed me to eat or drink yet today since the vision last night. I didn't even feel hungry anyways, and I am sure if I had gone, I would have just lost control of myself in an attempt to get them to _start the meeting_.

"Where in the world are they?" I screamed out loud. It doesn't take this long to have tea! Tea, of all things!

"I am going to lose it!" I started pacing, tapping my fingers together than clenching and unclenching them into and out of fists. I needed to punch something. I needed to get my anger out. _It's not fair_!

Suddenly, I felt a hand drop to my shoulder. I spun in shock and thrust my fist out before I caught sight of who it was. Edmund crumpled a bit but soon straightened.

"Ed?" When he didn't answer, I knew it was his presence, this gift Aslan gave us. I spun around and wrapped him in a hug. He winced sharply and I remembered his broken ribs. "Sorry, Ed." I looked him up and down. He wasn't even standing on the injured leg, his shoulder was still bandaged and someone had had the good sense of making a makeshift sling for his arm. Than something caught my breath in my throat. On his neck were great bruises, and I could just make out the handprints of the Ogre thing. These were fresh. My blood turned cold and tears slid slightly down my face as I gently fingered the bruises. They were raised. I lowered my head to my chest. He was suffering, and I couldn't protect him.

His fingers wrapped around my chin and lifted my face to meet his. I looked into his dark eyes and saw pain, but something else. The strength of Aslan. He mouthed to me that he was okay and patted my shoulder next, then lowered his head there. I in turn laid my head on top of his. I vaguely realized his hands were still tied together, so his other arm had to be raised all the time to meet the elevation of the other. He was going through all this, and all he wanted to do was to comfort _me_. I didn't deserve that. My tears were rolling rapidly from my eyes and started to wet his hair.

After a few minutes of just being in this position, I lifted my head and he lifted his. Than he did something that made my heart beat faster. He smiled a grand smile, one that spoke confidence and something else, kindness. I smiled back, but it was a small smile. He shifted in his spot than began to collapse, most likely having forgotten that his leg was broken and put pressure on it. I caught him around the waist and hoisted him up. He smiled at me and I lifted my arm to go around his chest, and then guided him to his throne to sit. When he was situated, I knelt next to him and placed my head on his lap, tears threatening to burst out. He rubbed his fingers through my hair gently.

"Your… majesty?" A confused voice asked from the entrance. I turned quickly and took in the form of a Cat. I quickly learned that, to her, I was leaning my head on Edmund's throne. She didn't see Ed. I quickly stood and faced her fully.

"Yes?"

"The members are ready to commence with counsel. Should… um… should I tell them you are not… ready?" There was sympathy in her eyes. I turned to Edmund, who shook his head and rubbed my arm. Getting the hint, I turned back to the Cat.

"No, I am ready. Please, allow them to enter."

"Yes, your majesty." And with that, she left. I turned back around to Edmund, who inclined his head to my own throne and patted my arm. I nodded and returned to my own throne. The people started to filter in and I could see Ed judging them. Once everyone had filtered in, Susan and Lucy entered. Ed rose in his seat and smiled brilliantly. I looked to the girls, who were walking to their thrones.

Could the girls see Edmund, too? "Su, Lu!" I exclaimed, catching their attention. I then looked at Edmund, knowing they would follow my gaze. He looked at the girls than looked back at me and shook his head. I turned to face them.

"What?" They asked in unison. "You don't see him?" I asked, not caring that some of the members were starting to think I had lost my mind.

"There is nothing there, good brother. Do you feel alright?" Susan asked and placed the back of her hand to my forehead. Edmund laughed and I felt slight disappointment at not being able to hear the melodious sound.

"Susan, I am fine. I just saw the most magnificent bird, but I suppose he left before anyone could see him." I amended quickly. Edmund shook his head but looked as surprised as I when Susan nodded and went to her throne next to Lucy, who was already in hers. I cleared my throat and stood from my throne.

"I, High King Peter, the Magnificent, do bring this counsel to order. Now, before we can begin, my good cousins, I must receive a solemn oath from all of you present. If you don't mind raising your arms, it will please me greatly to commence with this oath." At my words, a collective arm raised from the crowd as one. I heard shuffling to my right and saw Edmund standing as well, right arm raised and smirking at me. I smiled slightly, knowing what he was doing. He was swearing to never speak of the meeting, even in captivity. I turned to him and raised my right hand high, tears leaking down again.

"I do solemnly swear…" To me, it was just Edmund and I in the room. Everyone repeated, and with a large grin, Edmund mouthed the words.

"I do solemnly swear…"

"… to keep this meeting to myself."

"… to keep this meeting to myself."

"No others shall learn of what has been said…"

"No others shall learn of what has been said…"

"On my word,"

"On my word,"

"My life,"

"My life,"

"and Aslan himself."

"and Aslan himself." And with these last words, Edmund nodded his head and sat back down. I turned to the group of gathered Creatures, who were staring at me with a mixture of sympathy and confusion. I didn't care. With my loudest voice so my words carried through the room, "Than let the meeting commence. Oreius, if you will step forward." The great centaur walked to the front of the room at my words. Taking a step back, I sank in my chair and faced Edmund again. He was fighting tears, his face looking at Oreius. He looked back to me and I saw longing. Oreius was one of his greatest friends. And he could do nothing, just like with the girls. I wanted so desperately to calm him, but I was to stay in my throne. He sniffled slightly and turned back to Oreius.

"Members of the Counsel," his voice boomed without being forced, "A little over a week ago, the Kings were attacked in the garden by this very castle. During the attack, King Edmund was wounded." At this, Edmund turned a wonderful shade of red. I let out a snort before I realized it was coming out. The members looked at me in bewilderment and Edmund was the only one stifling a grin. "I am sorry, General, please continue." He nodded, if a little confused, and continued. "Both Kings were captured by a group known as Narnia's Last Defense. I will not discuss the things done to them during this time but it was… brutal." Every eye in the room looked me over at this with shock on their faces, but they were still confused when they found I was perfectly fine. Me on the other hand, I was trying not to cry as I thought of my vision last night and the marks around Edmund's throat. Edmund limped over to my side and sat at the ground by my feet, using his hands to rub my legs as he laid his head onto my thigh. A calm came over me and I turned back to Oreius, strength restored. He continued.

"Narnia's Last Defense somehow either lost the Kings or handed them over to a group of Calormen. These men wanted the High King, so King Edmund pretended to be High King while… subduing… High King Peter, so the High King could get away." At this, I looked down to Edmund and gave him a fierce glare, which only rewarded me with a large smirk. To everyone else, I was fiercely staring at my legs. "This meeting is to discuss how to get King Edmund back, before we run out of time." At this, Edmund's head jerked up and looked up at me. So he didn't know of the plan. I patted his back a bit before returning my attention to Oreius.

"High King Peter received a letter saying they would take King Edmund, whom they still believe to be High King Peter, and sell him to the highest bidder." As Oreius said this, whispers began around the room, as well as a few gasps. Edmund had begun to turn pale. "They sent High King Peter, again whom they perceive to be King Edmund, back to try and strike a deal with Narnia. They will exchange King Edmund for a piece of Narnia. If not, they will sell him to whomever pays the most." That got everybody talking. But only one person mattered to me at this moment. Or, at least, one presence. Edmund looked at me, all color gone from his face. He was trying to talk but still couldn't. "What is it, Ed? Is it about the deal?" He nodded his head vigorously. "Okay, what is wrong?" and then I thought a moment about who exactly I was talking to. My eyes narrowed. "You don't want us to make the deal." It wasn't even a question. He nodded his head again. "But, Ed, we have to! Your life is at stake! And what happens when they realize you aren't High King- I mean me? If we make the deal soon, they will stop torturing you!" Throughout my whole tirade, he simply shook his head and placed his forehead onto my thigh. "Ed! We _have_ to make the deal!" but all he did was simply shake his head more. "I don't care, I am going to do it." Edmund's head jerked up and he fixed me with the most terrifying death stare I have ever seen, even trumping that of an Ogre in a Blood Rage. "E-Edmund?" His gaze darkened and a hint of fire lit his eyes. Than a voice pecked at my mind. Edmund.

_Why do you think Aslan sent me today?_

I was speechless. Aslan sent him to stop me from the deal. "But, Ed… what about you?"

_I know you, Peter. You will find another way. I'm fine for the time being. You can't have these Brutes win._

_ "_But, surely we can spare a small part of Narnia? If it could save you? I have to do it!" I exclaimed.

_So you will go against the will of Aslan?_

"I-I"

"Sir, are you… alright?" A voice stirred me and I jumped slightly. Edmund nailed me with a gaze of finality before looking at the faun in front of me. The whole room was silent, all watching me. I felt my cheeks light up.

"Peter, it is okay, we will find him." Susan said lightly as she walked over to me and touched my shoulder. Edmund looked up at her, but she looked right through him. I needed to tell Lucy and Susan about seeing him. "Come with me to the library." I whispered slightly, making sure both Lucy and Susan heard me. They nodded. I stood and addressed the whole group.

"I am terribly sorry, but may my sibl- sisters and I take a recess?" Many heads nodded and Oreius strode to the front once again. During my fight with Edmund, he had gone to the side of the wall. "I will watch the proceedings and alert you later." I thanked him and knelt to help Edmund off the floor. The Creatures in the room thought I had lost my mind, but I didn't care, as long as I could hold Ed longer. I wrapped my arm around his chest and helped him down and out of the room. Every face I saw was etched with either sympathy or curiousness.

Thankfully, the library was not far from the Throne Room so Edmund didn't have to walk very far. Susan and Lucy said nothing, knowing what I needed to say was most likely private. As soon as we entered, I helped Edmund into a nearby chair, than promptly sat on the arm of the same chair. Susan and Lucy took the seats across from me.

"Peter," Lucy was the first to talk, "we know you miss him, but yelling his name isn't going to bring him back." For some reason, Edmund found this hilarious and snorted. I chuckled slightly.

"Peter, look at us! And stop laughing, you look mad!" Susan exclaimed, looking slightly worried. I looked at them, taking turns looking each in the eye.

"I can see Edmund." Was all I said. Both girls peered at me curiously.

"Aslan lets me be with him in my sleep, and he can come to me in his. But I seem to be the only one who can see him." At their looks of doubt, I continued with a phrase that would seal their trust. "I promise you on Aslan's mane that Edmund is here. And last night, I was able to be there for him when… when…" I was having difficulty continuing as I remembered the beast and what he did to Edmund. Said brother placed his hands on my legs and lowered his head to them, the one body language he knew would comfort me. I lowered my hand to his hair and ran my fingers through the ravenous mess.

"Edmund?" Asked Lucy. Both Edmund's and my head turned to her voice, and this time she wasn't looking through him. "EDMUND!" She said excitedly and rushed to him. He winced when she hit him and wrapped her arms around his tiny waist, but he couldn't have looked more delighted. "Oh EDMUND!" she exclaimed as she began to sob into his stomach. He kissed the top of her head lightly and I felt tears start to pour from my own eyes.

"Have both of you lost your minds?" Susan asked, and I knew she didn't see Edmund. "But, Susan, he is right here!" Lucy exclaimed and squeezed even tighter.

"This isn't funny." Susan said, stood, than left the library. I couldn't miss the hurt look in Edmund's dark eyes. Lucy turned to us, tears still streaming down her face. "I don't understand. All I had to do was ask Aslan to let me see, and I did? Wouldn't Susan do it too?" I looked down at her. "Apparently not, Lucy. I'm sorry, Ed, I know you really wanted Su to see you too." He nodded slightly. Lucy looked into my face, than to Ed and back to me. "Can he speak?"

"No, he can't speak or do anything to change the course of what will happen besides things to do with me and now, apparently, you. And, unfortunately, he comes however he fell asleep." For the first time, Lucy examined Ed, than let out a sharp gasp. Like I had done, her fingers lightly brushed the bruises on his neck. She let go of him quickly. "I'm sorry Ed!" She said quickly. He shook his head. Lucy's face brightened for a moment and I knew she had an idea.

"My Cordial!" she exclaimed and reached down to where it hung on her belt. Why hadn't I thought of this before? I quickly raised Ed to a sitting position and held both his hands as Lucy undid the cork. She put a drop in his mouth and waited. He shook his head. I heard his thoughts and all my hopes were dashed.

_It didn't work_.

"Lu, it didn't work." She looked at me then placed her head down on Edmund's leg. He cried out sharply, though we heard not a sound. Lucy quickly raised her head and looked as guilty as I have ever seen her. Edmund was shaking his head but tears were flowing freely from his eyes that were wrenched shut in agony. I rubbed circles in his back and whispered calming words in his ear. Soon, he stopped and looked back up. Lucy looked afraid to touch him.

_Tell Lu it's okay, I am fine._

_ "_Lucy, he says he is fine." She looked at me in disbelief than repeated her, "I'm sorry," again.

"Just what exactly happened to you?" She asked in a shaking voice. Edmund looked to me.

"Well, he has many broken ribs, a shot through the shoulder from when they captured us, his arm is broken, his leg is… mutilated and now it seems he was choked to the point of black out. Brutally, if I may add." Edmund nodded and looked to our sister. She was fighting tears but she shakily reached for his hands that were tied together. He smiled at her and he face lit up.

"Can you eat here?" She asked. Again, why in the world had I not thought of such things? He shrugged his shoulders. As Lucy stood, a crack resounded from Edmund's skull, and I was horrified to find blood trickling down. He grabbed my eyes as his body faded away, leaving Lucy and I to question what we just saw.

He was gone from us again.

Author's Note: wow, okay this one is lengthy!


	9. Chapter 9: Where Do We Go From Here

Narnia's Last Defense

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia.

Author's Note: I am not going to lie; I really like making this story! I was tempted to skip making a chapter for Deepest Magic again but decided against. That is why I made a chapter for it before this. And, grr, it took SO long! Because all I could think of was this! Ha ha, I just realized that I italicized just when talking about Edmund. Ha. I brought back Gahara! Another thing, I am enjoying a new side of Edmund that many people know but have not been brought to light in this story yet! Also, reference to a Prince Caspian deleted scene! Can you find it?

Chapter 9: Where Do We Go From Here?

"Edmund!" I exclaimed. Lucy looked at me, wide eyed and at a loss for words. All I could do was stare at the area Edmund had _just_ occupied. I had just had him. I don't even want to think of what that crack was. The next thing I knew, I had an armful of Lucy, her tears wetting my tunic. I gently rubbed her back and whispered nonsense in her ear, things that even I didn't believe.

"Where did he go?" Lucy's voice, though muffled by my tunic, drifted up to my ears.

"Back to the dungeon. Back to those… monsters." I shuddered slightly. My only comfort was that they wanted to keep Edmund alive. Even if they tortured him, for the time being, they wanted him alive.

"Lu, lets go find Oreius. We need to talk about what to do to get him back. Permanently." She nodded slightly and rose, wiping her eyes free of any tears. I tweaked her nose before standing. Grabbing her hand, I ran from the room with her in tow, and promptly ran into Susan.

"Oh, hello Susan. We were going to find Oreius." I said quickly, trying to get around her. She placed her hand on my chest to stop my movements.

"So you two are done trying to fool me?" She asked with an angry undertone. I looked back at Lucy curiously. She shrugged her shoulders and looked to Susan.

"What do you mean, Su?" She asked.

"Oh, don't even. Its bad enough he is gone, but now you two are trying to rub it in my face! Is he still here? Am I going to run into him?" She struck her arms out and waved them in the air around her.

"Su-"

"Oh! So HE LEFT NOW! I bet he just disappeared, didn't he? OH WOW!" And with that, she spun and walked back the way she came.

"You go talk to Oreius, I will go speak to Susan." Lucy told me quietly. I squeezed her hand softly before letting it go and watching her run down the hall after Susan, wanting to follow. _No, I need to talk to Oreius; I need to get Edmund back_. I shot the opposite way, back to the throne room. I was surprised to see the room still full of Creatures, but I suppose they would like to talk for a long time.

"High King Peter! Is everything alright?" Oreius called from the front of the room. I must have looked like a mess.

"Everything is fine. I just needed to discuss something with my sisters. I am sorry for my conduct earlier."

"It is perfectly fine, sire. If you would like to join, I can fill you in on what you have missed." I nodded my head and made way to my throne. As Oreius bent in my direction to speak with me, I noticed some of the members whispering amongst themselves.

"There hasn't been much headway. One satyr suggested that we have a crew of griffons search for King Edmund, or perhaps the mer-people? And I do believe there is someone you may want to speak to after the meeting." At his words, I looked up at him curiously. He pointed out a Bear, standing in the back looking nervous and biting his paws. This conduct was typical of a Bear. I nodded at him and gestured for him to continue. "There is a member of the… um… underground group… here." I shot my head up.

"Underground group?" I asked. He nodded. "You mean, as in a covert affairs group?" Again he nodded. "How long have we had this?" I asked incredulously. Oreius shifted uncomfortably, as if deciding whether or not to tell me. He must have decided to.

"Your brother made it, he leads it, your highness." I looked at him, mouth agape. _Since when? How in all of Narnia had Edmund been able to go on covert affairs without my knowledge_? Oreius continued with his explanation. "The members are quite distressed at this turn of events because they believe they have information that may help, but they insist on talking to you only. And sire, the Bear is separate from this, but he refuses to speak until he has a private audience with your majesties." I looked back up to him.

"If this meeting is getting no where, may I speak to the underground group privately for a moment in the Library?" Oreius nodded his head.

"I suppose I am to watch the counsel again?" He asked as I rose to leave. I gave a small chuckle.

"I am sorry, good friend, I know I shall owe you many favors after this." He smiled back as I walked out. A group of Creatures were in the back of the room. I went straight to the front most one.

"Cousins, are you the underground group?" The Animal, which was a Fox, looked at me and inclined his head softly.

"I am Josah, leader of The King's Men." I inclined my head towards the Fox as I thought of the name. Typical Edmund, to name something so important something so simple. But then, I suppose it made sense, if someone heard the name; they would not suspect a covert group of elite Animals.

"May I have a private audience with you in the Library?" I asked quietly. He nodded than turned to two of his men, a Squirrel that looked strangely familiar and a Dog. We walked out of the throne room and went straight to the library, and thoughts of what had just happened in here filled my mind. I pushed them out quickly but did find myself sitting in the chair furthest from where I had placed Edmund earlier. As we sat, Josah turned to his men and whispered quietly to them before turning to face me again.

"Cousins, I have heard that you wish to inform me on subjects important to the recent kidnapping of King Edmund." Josah nodded to me.

"About six months ago, Gahara, Glisk and I were with King Edmund in the Western Wood. We were nearing Lantern Waste when we came upon a group of Calormen. We hid in a brush and King Edmund sent Philip a few paces off. The men were talking of the land and elevation when another man joined them. They then began to discuss how to get the land they desired. Really, it took all of our convincing not to allow King Edmund to attack them, but it seems in light of the recent situation, that would have been a good idea."

I stopped Josah quickly with a raise of my hand. "Wait, are you saying that you knew of the plot to take the land?" I asked incredulously. Josah nodded, and seemed at a loss for words. Gahara stepped forward to continue.

"It seemed these men didn't have the resources to kidnap any King. We really hadn't expected them to use another terrorist group to take what they wanted. We wanted to advise you of this situation as soon as possible but King Edmund declined this. He said he would handle all and that we need not tear you from other matters. It now seems he was merely hiding the whole group from you. At the time, the Calormen had interest in King Edmund and not you." I wasn't sure which I wanted to do when I found Edmund, hug him or strangle him. Of course he wouldn't seek me out for help, especially since at the time there had been no threat on my being, only on his. I growled out of frustration. _Ed, you can just be so frustrating sometimes_. I could almost hear Edmund laughing in my mind.

"Sire?" Gahara was looking at me curiously. I smiled and dipped my head slightly.

"Thank you, my Cousins. Is there anyway you could describe these men to a dryad so she may sketch them? I would like to find them, maybe we can find King Edmund as well." They nodded in understanding. I rose from my seat and gestured to the door. "In the throne room, there is a dryad standing near General Oreius. Find her and tell her my instructions." Each Animal bowed to me before leaving the room. I stayed for a moment to let my thoughts catch up with me.

_Okay, Edmund runs the spy group in our country. Oh, and by the way, WE HAVE A BLOODY SPY GROUP! I am High King, shouldn't I know these things_? I began pacing. _Edmund knew that someone wanted land. Knowing Edmund, he decided to deal with it himself. He probably did deal with it somewhat. These men wanted Edmund, but then something changed. Maybe they realized that the High King was a higher bargaining chip. Or_, and my blood turned cold with realization, _Edmund showed these men exactly how terrible King Edmund could be. But then, wouldn't they have recognized Edmund instantly. No, they never went in the cell, or else Edmund would have noticed and said something. Oh no, this brings up problems. If these men find their way into Edmund's cell, they will recognize him instantly. Which means Edmund has less time then I thought. Unless there is a small chance they are not part of the group anymore. We need those sketches, now, no matter which situation is reality. _

Then I thought of one of the creatures in the meeting. Gahara. Where had I heard that name before? Than Edmund's words hit me full force. _Gahara said there is a group in the forest called 'The True Queen's Creatures' who plan to teach Lucy here how to handle weaponry in battle when she comes of age. _Gahara, the Squirrel from the meeting! So Gahara seemed to be a close advisor. She had been there when Edmund's group had found the Calormen; she had been at the meeting. Who knew what else! In the meeting, Edmund spoke to her as if they were friends. _Aslan, why didn't I realize this earlier? I need to find Gahara!_ I raced from the room and tore into the throne room. Good, she was speaking to the dryad. I could ask her any questions later. A Bear approached me from the opposite side of the room, the same one Oreius had pointed out earlier. Still sucking his paws, I might add.

"Your Majesty, I feel I need to tell you my information. Now." He was fidgety and sucking on his paws with all his worth when he was not speaking. I eyed him critically before asking the question on my mind.

"Why can you not discuss the nature of your information with the other members of this counsel?" I asked. He shook his head fervently.

"Not here, your majesty, there are too many. Somewhere else, alone. The only others who hear this must be your closest men." I eyed his again than headed to the front of the room and grabbed Oreius' large arm.

"The Bear wants to talk. I trust you, will you come accompany us in our discussion, along with my sisters?" He nodded briskly.

"I shall find your sisters and bring them to the war room. If this Bear demands such privacy, I doubt the Library will be completely safe." I acknowledged him with a slight bow before racing back to the Bear as Oreius set off to find my sisters. Oh, how much I needed to tell them! I reached the Bear rather quickly, despite the ruckus around me.

"Good Bear, if you will accompany me, I shall lead you to a separate room for private conversation." He nodded slightly and walked along next to me as I made my way out of the room and into the hall. I wanted to talk on our awkward walk to the War Room, but found this impossible due to the amount of sucking the Bear was doing to his paw. I was surprised it hadn't gulped down the whole thing. As it was, we ended up taking the walk in silence, and all the sounds that could be heard were the padding of our feet and the sucking of his paws. After what seemed like centuries, we finally made it to the War Room. I opened the door and swept my arm in a gesture to have the Bear go in. He looked around suspiciously then walked in. I followed him and heard the sound of centaur hooves fill the room as the Bear and I sat down.

I looked to Lucy and Susan. Susan's arms were crossed and each girl stood on separate sides of the centaur. So Susan wouldn't listen to Lucy. Indeed, Lucy's eyes were red and puffy. I raised my arm and gestured her to sit in the rather large chair with me. Her eyes lit up and she ran next to me, snuggling in close with an arm wrapped around me. Oreius remained standing, as did Susan.

"Good Bear, can we now know the information that seemed so important?" I asked. The Bear shifted in his chair and took one more suck of his paw before lowering it. "You may start with your name, if you please."

He stood and bowed deeply, then straightened and looked right into my eyes.

"My name is Chellur, and I am part of a group called Narnia's Last Defense."

Author's Note: Mwahahaha suspense! I really enjoyed making this chapter and would have kept going until I realized how ridiculously long it is! Sorry I didn't say what happened to Ed, but I did hint to his well being?


	10. Chapter 10: Chellur

Narnia's Last Defense

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia. I do own (hold on, this may take a while) Josah, Gahara, Mr. Kortlle, Chellur, and Glisk. Oh and Thoran and Zoheram. And Orac. Wow, you can tell by their terrible names. Maybe I will quit naming them and start calling them 1,2,3…

Author's Note: So… how did you like the last chapter? I feel so evil for leaving you with that, but it had to be done. I feel like at any moment, Edmund should be saying, Pevensie, Edmund Pevensie, with a mysterious circle around him. Wow… okay my brain is saying bye-bye for the time being…

Chapter 10: Chellur

"My name is Chellur, and I am part of a group called Narnia's Last Defense."

The silence that engulfed the room was so thick I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Rage boiled up inside me and I'm pretty sure my eyes turned blood red. They shot Edmund, they took him, and they handed them over to the terrorist group that had him now. My whole being shook as I tried to control my anger. Tried being the operative word. I clenched my teeth and set my jaw. I wanted to remove this Bear's head from the rest of his body. Apparently, Oreius felt the same way because as one we drew our swords, me standing from my chair in doing so. I noticed Lucy draw her dagger and Susan, not having brought her bow and arrows, looked ready to pounce on the Bear. Said Bear lifted his hands in defense.

"No, wait, I come in peace!" he exclaimed quickly.

"YOU COME IN PEACE!" I seethed. "JUST LIKE YOU CAME IN PEACE WHEN YOUR GROUP SHOT AN ARROW IN MY LITTLE BROTHER'S SHOULDER! OR MAYBE LIKE HOW YOU CAME IN PEACE WHEN YOU TORTURED HIM. WHILE HE WAS CONCUSSED! JUST LIKE THAT!" I was furious. Lucy placed her hand on my shoulder but I barely even noticed. This Bear had a real death wish, coming here.

"No, your majesty, I-I came to help get King Edmund back." I paused, frozen in place.

"Help?" Lucy asked from behind me. Thank Aslan she could control herself better than I.

"Well, at first my mission was to spy on the meeting and get information. But, when I heard of what King Edmund did for our High King, I-I realized that what they told me wasn't true. They told me he only cared for himself, but he really doesn't." And here, the Bear broke down. "I am so sorry! I-I never knew he was such a good King. I never knew." Great tears were falling from his eyes. I still wasn't able to feel any sympathy for this beast, but I did want his help. I slowly lowered Rhindon; then forced it back into its scabbard. Oreius did so with his sword and Lucy gently put her dagger back in its spot. Susan was the first to approach the Bear.

"Good Chellur, do you have information that could help us find King Edmund?" She asked in a quiet voice. The Bear stopped his bawling and looked up at her before composing himself and straightening.

"Yes, I do, but we must be sure we are alone. My comrades still believe I am part of them, and if they found out what I am going to tell you, everyone would be in danger."

"The area is secure, Chellur, this is our most private room in the Cair, and quite possibly in all of Narnia. No one even knows we are here. So, if you please, continue." As Oreius said this, I could tell he was biting back fury. I myself hadn't spoken after my outburst in fear that all it would result in was a dead Bear. The Bear nodded. Lucy was next to speak before the Bear could get any words out.

"Do you know where he is?" She asked. Hope filled my mind. If this Bear had been a part of NLD, then maybe he knew!

"No, your majesty." My heart dropped, and my anger returned. I really hope I didn't have to speak. "You see," he continued, "we really didn't mean to lose him." I snapped out of my anger for a moment.

"You… lost him?" I asked, trying to formulate what this meant for the rest of the situation. If NLD had lost Edmund and I, or Zoheram and his men simply kidnapped us, that was why I found myself there, too. If there had been a deal of sorts, of course NLD would not let me be taken as well. Why hadn't I thought of this sooner, it was so obvious! But this must mean maybe someone had seen the men who took us, or even possibly overheard a conversation.

"They came in the dead of night. Ambush. We tried to fight them off but they were so large and strong. They are Calormen. They took you two before we could save you. And trust me, many of us tried to save you. They were just too powerful. But that is not why I decided to talk to you." As angry as I was, curiosity over took me.

"So, then, why did you need to talk to us?" Lucy asked the Bear. My fingers clenched and unclenched my sword hilt. The Bear looked to everyone but me before he settled his eyes on Lucy.

"I want to help. I know where they are holding the auction, we have actually been following them for sometime." Chellur breathed out. My mind swam. This Bear could save Edmund. _Which means I can't kill it. Drat._

"Then take us to him." I said.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

I hissed in pain as Orac wrapped my injured leg. The Ogre… thing looked reluctant to be doing anything to help me, but with Zoheram standing in the doorway, watching, he had little choice. The captain didn't seem too happy with Orac at the moment.

"You big oaf, you weren't supposed to cripple him! I swear, if this lowers his price, I will sell you to the giants. They would just love to play with you." Zoheram said angrily. I laughed; the giants would do more than play. I would be surprised if he was not made into food within his first few minutes there. Orac grunted and purposely tightened the bandages around my leg, making me wince internally. Externally, I kept up my façade of strength by letting loose a fierce grin at Orac.

"Oh, thank you, my good man." I said to Orac. He growled at me but Zoheram's slight cough in the doorway stopped him from doing anything else.

"Your welcome, your _highness_." Orac said through gritted teeth. I beamed back up at him through waves of sudden nausea. _Stupid leg making me a bleeding sissy. I bet Lucy could be doing better than me. _Orac didn't seem to notice as he rose from the floor and exited the room before more could be said. Zoheram looked at me.

"Well, your majesty, I believe now is the time to tell you why you are here, because I suppose you have a right to know."

"Hold for a moment, may I give it a try?" I asked in amusement. Zoheram looked at me and gave me a devilish grin.

"Go ahead, your majesty, though I am sure you will not know what is going on." Zoheram said with utmost confidence. I grinned ferociously.

"Just a guess, are you planning on holding me to get the other King and Queens of Narnia to give you a piece of land for your own, and if they don't you will sell me at an auction?" Zoheram gaped at me and I smiled in pleasure. Just for good measure…

"I don't suppose the hag will keep up her end if you sell me to her. She won't give you all the money or she will just kill you. I would go with the Telmarines." I really didn't think I would see anyone look so surprised as Zoheram did with my words. He stepped back in shock and looked at me as if I were a ghost. He had no idea how much pleasure his shock was giving me, since I didn't have Peter with me to shock in amusing ways.

"What are you?" Zoheram gasped out, and I found it very difficult not to laugh, despite my injuries. I leaned forward slightly from my seat on the ground and looked up at him with the most demonic grin I could muster.

"You don't want to know."

I had never seen a man turn tail and run so fast as Zoheram did at that moment. And my laughter followed him the whole way, no doubt solidifying his fears.

Author's Note: I am so sorry its so short, but the first scene couldn't go on and the second was just a note of something more than beating up Edmund, because I am getting depressed. I am beating him up in Deepest Magic and another short fic. Unfortunately, the second is necessary but it only lasts a chapter and is absolutely crucial. Grr, maybe I should beat up Peter! No, never mind. Well, I would like to know, I will be doing a fic that does the parable of the lost sheep. Do you guys think the Shepard should be Aslan or Peter?


	11. Chapter 11: Doloris Glacialis

Narnia's Last Defense

Disclaimer: I don't own it. Even though it seems I have been as dead as C.S. Lewis, I am NOT he.

Author's Note: *ducks head as tomatoes fly* I'M SORRY! No, I am not dead! I was grounded for a LONG time. Do you know how much I missed my precious laptop! Be surprised I am not dead; I had prolonged exposure to an absence of my laptop and I was absolutely traumatized. The thing is, I did take the time to write new chapters for both stories and (HOLD YOUR BREATHE FOR THIS ONE) *awesome drum roll* I HAVE TWO MORE STORIES! Yes, you read that right; I am posting them after I post my updates for this and Deepest Magic. They are both multi-chapters but I have more of them completed on paper than I have for Deepest Magic. So look in my writings for "Song of the Dead" and "To Leave the Shadowlands". Be amazed, but in Song of the Dead, I haven't injured Edmund yet! He hit the ground but he wasn't injured! And yes you read that right as well! If you want a quick summary:

Song of the Dead: Its Susan's 18th birthday. Of course someone has to ruin the party. What will the Pevensies do when one of their own turns against them?

To Leave the Shadowlands: Last Battle AU. Not everyone died on the train that fateful day in England. But maybe Aslan has a plan for those remaining; they just need to find it.

And with that, enjoy the {VERY VERY} long awaited new chapter to Narnia's Last Defense!

PS. VERY IMPORTANT: THE DREAM SEQUENCE WITH EDMUND AND PETER WAS SO LONG I DID NOT ITALICIZE IT. JUST BE WARNED, THE PAGE BREAKS ARE GOING IN AND OUT OF THE DREAM FOR PETER.

Chapter 11: Doloris Glacialis

Sleep was very hard to get that night, slippery and elusive and down right impossible. I was anxious to get moving on the search for my missing brother, but apparently "provisions", "food" and "rest" were necessary to mount the search. I really didn't understand it; to me all these things were impertinent to the whole picture. As I sat awake, I desperately searched my memory for any hint at all as to where exactly Zoheram would be taking Edmund. Chellur had given us a slightly accurate location, but it was a wide guess and we had no idea of knowing if Zoheram and his men changed the place. After searching my mind for the fifteenth time, I came up with absolutely nothing. Like each time before. Before I could re-search for another time, a knock sounded from my door.

"Enter." I said. The door creaked and I looked to see Lucy stepping through the doorframe and shutting the door behind her. She padded on silent feet to sit next to me on my couch.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" She asked in an admonishing tone. I let a small smile touch my face.

"Oh please, you really think I can sleep?" I asked. Lucy rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

"No, I suppose I can't even ask that of you, can I?" She asked, though it was more of a statement than a question. I laughed quietly.

"Course not, Lu." I replied. Lucy frowned.

"Peter, why can't I go?" she asked, pouting slightly. "I can fight, you know its true, and I want to help get Edmund back!" she pleaded with me, tugging my arm. I smiled and wrapped my arm around her shoulders.

"I know you can fight, trust me on that one. Which is why I am leaving you here. Someone needs to watch over the Cair, Susan and I are going and so is Oreius. So we need you here. You are the only one I can trust right now to both watch and protect Narnia. I would leave Susan, but we need her archery and I think she gets to pick if she stays or goes before you." I finished, looking down apologetically at my baby sister. A baby sister who could run a country. Okay, maybe not a _baby _sister, per se.

We sat in comfortable silence, Lucy pouting only softly and me thinking of all that had gone on. A choke came from Lucy and I looked down to see her suppressing sobs. I knew she was thinking of Edmund, and if I were utterly truthful, so was I.

"Hey," I said, squeezing her shoulder and pulling her closer, "we'll get him back." I said. It was the only encouragement I myself believed as well. _I _will _get that boy back, and when I do…_

"But what if he is hurt? Or… or…. What if…." Lucy interrupted my thoughts, trailing off at the end of the sentence as if afraid to say it for fear it would come true. I tried to smile encouragingly at her.

"I can't say he will be perfectly fine, or that he will even be alive." As I said this, Lucy gasped and tears quickly entered her eyes. I shook her shoulder, staring straight into her eyes. "But, I _promise, _Lu, I will do _everything _in my power to make sure he is." I said, letting my eyes convey the absolute sincerity and resolution in my words and heart. Lucy smiled wetly and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling herself to my chest. I snaked my arms around her back and drew her even closer as she began to tremble.

We sat there for Aslan knows how long until Lucy's tears ran their course into my tunic. She giggled wetly as she pulled away, face red and puffy and perfectly beautiful. Lucy's face lit up with an idea and she looked at me elatedly, her eyes suddenly wide and her mouth shaped in an 'o'.

"What?" I asked, wondering what she was thinking. Her grin grew significantly as the idea in her head rolled through her mind. She jumped from the couch and grabbed both of my hands, tugging me along.

"Sleep!" She said, turning around to concentrate on her backward footsteps that were rapidly receding to my bed. I quirked my eyebrow, clearly not following.

"Lu, I thought we already established-" I began, but was quickly cut off when Lucy reached the bed and pushed me in its direction.

"No, sleep! You can see Edmund to see if he's okay!" she exclaimed, pealing the covers off and in her excitement almost throwing them to the floor. As the lights, rather belatedly, clicked on in my mind, my whole body filled with longing and warmth. With a stupid grin, I jumped into the bed, catching Lucy around the waist and pulling her down with me. She squealed in delight as we landed in a tangle in the blankets. I hurriedly smoothed the blanket out and lay on my back, tingling with ecstasy.

"You're right! Do you think Aslan will let me see him?" I asked as Lucy struggled to untangle herself from the blankets. She stopped the process for a moment and thought before shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, if he doesn't, then you know Edmund is doing okay." She said, truly believing everyone. I smirked slightly.

"Isn't being wise Edmund's job?" I asked. Lucy rolled her eyes and turned on her side to face me, having finally untangled herself.

"I am always wise." She said, lightly punching my arm. "Now go to sleep!" She hardly needed to tell me, the thought of seeing Edmund again was already pulling me to the deep sway of slumber. Lucy clambered over to me; sinking her head down onto my chest and wrapping one arm the length of my chest. I smiled a genuine smile down at her. She caught my gaze and grinned up at me.

"I know I'm not Edmund, but can I sleep with you?" She asked. I laughed.

"As if you even need to ask!" I said, slightly scandalized. "I would have it no other way."

Lucy gave me a brilliant smile and lowered her gaze, snuggling into my chest. With my baby sister snuggled securely against my chest and thoughts of Edmund dancing in my mind, I quickly succumbed to the gentle lull of sleep.

OOOOOOOO

When I opened my eyes, the darkness was present and all consuming. As my vision was slowly restored, to a point that I could see faint outlines, I soon realized I was not in the Cair. With a thrill, I rejoiced at the fact that I did recognize the dark, dank cell. It had been my traveling home not to long ago. I was quick to search the room for Edmund, but there was no sign of him anywhere. The room was void of everything but a broken bucket hastily thrown in a corner and a thin, scratchy-looking blanket. The walls were still blood slicked but to my relief, most of it seemed dried, from where I remembered it before. Much to my disappointment, though, there seemed to be a distinct lack of a window. Which meant I would have to search to find information as to where the boat, and therefore Edmund's captors, were. This was fine with me, though, because there was also a distinct lack of younger kings as well.

Frowning at the thoughts that entered my mind as to _why_ Edmund was not in his cell, I walked to the doorframe, catching myself before I entered the hall. I looked both ways but there was no one, no guards, no Zoheram… no Edmund. Just as I was considering stepping into the hallway, I heard it. A scream so guttural and animalistic that it couldn't possibly be human echoed off the walls and froze the warmest of hearts. There was so much anguish dripping from the voice that I was sure I would surely drown in it. I shook down to my core, and I couldn't help feeling immense sympathy for the creature suffering. I almost gave up my search for Edmund to help the tortured soul, whether it be friend or enemy.

The thought was crushed when the scream happened again, only closer. There was a single line of humanity left in it, a defiant part that refused to be beaten, that refused to give in. It was horrible, irate, and terribly familiar. Edmund. Hot panic seared through my veins.

_I'm coming Edmund! _My mind bawled as I tried to run through the doorframe and into the hall. Try being the operative word. Through my blind panic, I realized I had landed back on the floor, a shock going through my leg. I stood and charged for the hall. The second my foot connected with the cold wood of the hall, an electric jolt ran through my leg again, pushing me back to the floor. I growled and bolted to the hall, but once again was stopped the same way.

_Aslan, let me help him! _I cried, pounding the wall with my fist in frustration. Another scream erupted with a shrill of desperation, closer than the last. _He needs me!_

_**My son, you cannot.**_

__Desperation became overwhelming. _Listen to him! He is in so much pain… let me go! _A tear streaked down my cheek, burning a groove in my face.

_**You think I do not know, Peter? Edmund is mine, and so is his pain.**_

___So why can you not let me go help him? _I pleaded through my haze of terror. I clenched my eyes shut as tight as they would go and my hands shook as another scream reached my bleeding ears. It took all of my self-control and then some to keep myself from dashing after my agonized brother. Again.

_**Because you cannot, Son of Adam. There are rules against such. Fear not, Peter, your brother will be here soon. He will need your strength then. **_

__I sighed and hastily wiped the tears from my eyes. _If they're bringing him here, can I kill the beasts? _A chuckle was my reply, followed by a low growl.

_**My son, you have no idea how much I wish you could.**_

__Another of the beastly screams filled the air and I could tell it came from just down the hall. Up so close the screams, I could feel the anguish, fear and terror, not to mention the hate, vibrate in my very bones. I wiped all signs of crying off my face and sat up straighter. If Edmund needed strength, I could not deny him. Not even a minute later, the ogre-human cross breed staggered into the room, dragging Edmund by his right forearm across the floor. Edmund was facing the ceiling, eyes clinched shut with tears leaking out of the corners. His teeth were also clinched and it was obvious he was in pain. All I wanted to do was pick him up in my arms, relieve his hurts, hold him forever and protect him. My arms literally ached to do so.

He was shivering uncontrollably but his face had a glean of sweat to it. I threw my arms around my stomach to both stop the nausea coursing through my body but also to keep myself from leaping up and punching the thing. The creature walked to the opposite wall and pushed Edmund against it, once again tying his hands in front of his body tightly. Edmund sank heavily to the floor as his shivers threatened to take over his form completely. When it seemed his shaking could not get worse, he tilted his head back, peeled his eyes open and let loose one of the animalistic screams, shaking the walls of my strength and dissolving my resolve to not let Edmund see me cry. Tears streaked down my face again.

When the terrifying sound ran its course, his head fell to his chest and his breathing was hard and raspy. The beast put a hand on Edmund's hair and yanked so his head was at eye level again. My brother opened his eyes but I was very concerned to see them un-concentrated with a slight glaze to them.

"Have we broken his highness yet?" the beast asked, clearly demeaning his title. I gritted my teeth and clenched my hands in and out to keep my mind off all the ways I wanted to torture this thing. With supreme effort, Edmund met the creature's eyes, narrowed his own and growled with a broken but angered sound.

"Never." He whispered in a raspy voice. The beast gave his own growl and shoved Edmund onto his side; my brother landing with a grunt as the air easily flew out of his lungs.

"You will, High King, you will." He said before getting up and leaving the cell. Edmund remained on the floor, eyes closed and breathing choppy.

I shakily stood to my feet, my breathing unconsciously matching my brother's. I stumbled across the space between he and I, my heart weighed down with so much emotion that I could scarcely move. When I got to Edmund's side, I crashed to the ground, but I was so numb I couldn't feel the impact. With a shakiness that rivaled Edmund's, I reached out a hand to gently touch my brother's shoulder. He shuddered at the contact but picked himself off the floor and slowly opened his eyes.

Of all the people he had expected to see, I knew for a fact by his facial expression that I was not one of them. His eyes went wide and his shivering stopped moving his body for a moment.

"P-Pete?" He gasped out when he could figure out how to use his lips. All I could do was nod in response; tears spilling down my cheeks in rapid progression. He suddenly fell forward, crashing straight into my chest. I wrapped my arms around him and gently pulled him onto my lap. He dropped his head onto my shoulder and pressed his face into my neck. I felt ice cold tears run down my neck as his shoulders shook. I tightened my arms around him and never wanted to let go.

"Y-you're h-h-here!" Edmund sobbed, though the stuttering didn't seem to be coming from this sudden emotion. I frowned upon feeling Edmund's arm. It was ice cold.

_What did they do, Eddie? _I asked. Edmund couldn't even answer as he shivered and his teeth began to chatter. _Hold on _I said as I put him on the ground, gently leaning him against the wall for support. I hastily stood up and relocated the thin blanket I had found earlier. It was shoved into the corner with the bucket and it was still folded, as if it had not been used yet. A fact I stored in with my other reasons to burn this boat down with all of its crew when I got Edmund back. I unfolded it but was immediately frozen as Edmund screamed again. I ran back quickly, shoving the blanket around his shoulders as they shook with the volume of his screams.

As they died off and Edmund's head dropped limply to my shoulder, I heard laughing coming from the hall. I ignored it for the time being but I kept the voice in my mind, sure to remember it later.

_Come on, Eddie, this will make you warmer. _I said encouragingly, wrapping the blanket fully around his body.

"I-it h-h-hur-ts P-P-ete." He murmured brokenly. I pulled him back onto my lap, making a cocoon with the blanket and my arms as I did. He again pressed his face into the crux of my neck.

_What did they do to you, Eddie? _I asked again. He moved his head back and rested it on the edge of my shoulder.

"Its-it's a-a-a p-p-plant f-f-from Telmar. D-dolor-is Gl-glaci-alis. He said it f-f-freezes the blood in your v-veins." Edmund told me slowly, shivering but stuttering less and less as he seemed to warm up. Beneath my arms, his back arched and he doubled over, head hitting my chest as he screamed again, though this time it didn't last as long and was filled with less anguish and more anger. When it died off, he was left limp in my arms, still gasping for breath and head bowed low.

"It hurts the worst w-when it goes over my h-h-heart. That's when I scream." He said with a painful rasp to his voice. My own heart felt like breaking into small pieces at his incredulous suffering. I clutched him tighter to me, willing heat to return. Edmund slowly picked his head up and replaced it on my shoulder once more, though it took some difficulty.

"Don't worry, it'll go away s-soon." He said tiredly, rubbing his eyes with his hand for a moment to swipe at the tears. I looked at him in complete astonishment.

_This isn't the first time they've done this?_

Edmund shook his head slightly and smiled without humor. "Course not. They're trying to break me so w-when I am sold, I can 'f-follow o-orders'. Hasn't worked yet, though." He said. I looked down at him with pride shining in my eyes. Edmund smiled slightly back then grimaced as a twinge of pain obviously ran through him. I sighed and lowered my head on top of his.

_Why did you do it? _I asked. This time Edmund sighed.

"The real reason o-or the excuse?" he asked. I rolled my eyes but was secretly pleased. I was glad to hear Edmund's signature sarcasm, or humor, coming out; it gave me hope.

_Humor me _I said. Edmund shifted slightly.

"Well, the excuse is that you can never give the b-bad guy what he wants. Naturally, h-he couldn't have the real H-High K-King." He said, a tremble running through his body at the end. My head shot up.

_Then what is the real reason? _I asked, slightly confused. Edmund clenched his eyes shot against another wave of pain but this time he didn't scream.

"This is going to sound very selfish, b-but I didn't w-want to be in your position n-now. I-I didn't want you to be the one h-hurting. Besides," he said, looking down "you don't deserve this."

_What do you mean? You don't either. _I said, eyebrows furrowed with concern and confusion. Edmund shook his head.

"But I do. If I hadn't betrayed Narnia, NLD would have n-never taken us, n-never had been mad at me. You did nothing. Maybe this is part of my penance." He said. I visibly shook.

_This is why Aslan sent me. Eddie, this is not your fault! _I said, still in shock. Edmund laughed dryly.

"But you see, Pete, I-it is." He said, totally convinced. My eyes widened.

_Edmund, you can't possibly blame yourself! _When I received no answer, I desperately moved on. _This is not your fault and is not your penance!_

"But I was never p-p-punished!" Edmund exclaimed, trying to straighten up. I held him down firmly, though it was not very hard.

_You don't have to be punished Ed. Wasn't being stabbed by the Witch enough? Weren't the long, cold days of torture enough? If you really want a punishment, just wait till you get home, Su and I have a long list of THAT for you. But this? This is inhumane! Aslan died for you, why would he desire a punishment?_

Edmund looked thoughtful and I quickly took the opportunity.

_Eddie, the things they have done to you, if the White Witch came back, would you allow them to be done to her? _I asked.

"Of course not!" Edmund said without even having to think.

_Then why in all of Narnia would _you _deserve it? She is the one who enchanted you and made you betray us in the first place._

Edmund raised his head and met my eyes. "Y-you're r-r-right." He said, though it seemed to take a lot of self-forcing to do so. "But, still, I really didn't want you to suffer." I shook my head with a roll of my eyes.

_Don't worry; I'll chew you out for _that _one when we find you. _I said. Edmund smiled but couldn't keep a yawn from working its way out of his exhausted. He was leaning heavily against me and he once again let his head fall to my shoulder. As he struggled to keep his eyes open, I remembered a song Susan would sing to Edmund to put him to sleep. I opened my mouth to test my singing and was pleased to hear sound come out.

"Every time you hurt

Every time you hide

Every time it hurts

Every time you cry

Every time you run away

Every time you hide your face

And I feel so far away

I'm right here

With you."

I looked to Edmund to see him sleeping, his mouth hanging open and his joined hands covering the area of my chest over my heart. I smiled lovingly at him and continued.

"And I feel so far away

I'm right here

With you."

I stayed for hours, holding my precious brother as he slept. At that moment, I didn't want to be anywhere else. I held through his nightmares and dreams, through his tears and his moans. It was not lost on me that my dear brother might be sick along with his injury. Seeing as his surroundings made the battlefield look like Susan's room after Spring Cleaning. After many hours, I felt my body tugging me back. I shook Edmund slightly and fingered his face gently where I had moved it. It was currently turned into my arm and his head was cradled in my elbow. He woke up groggily and looked up at me, confused.

"Yah, Pete?" he asked with a yawn. I hugged him tightly.

_I love you Edmund, always remember that _I said. Edmund nodded and his eyes filled with tears.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" he asked. I nodded my head and stroked his hair gently. If I had it my way, I would never leave, every again, but I didn't control the situation. I was going to be tugged back anyway.

_But we'll meet again soon. And this time, it will be for real _I said. Edmund smiled as I gently lowered him to the ground and made sure he was comfortable.

_I expect you to use that blanket _I said, looking pointedly at it. Edmund rolled his eyes. "Yes mother hen," he said "but it is kind of hard to get it on with my hands tied." I leaned forward and kissed his forehead, as the tugging became more insistent.

_I love you, Eddie, more than life _I said with a lump in my throat. He gave me a half smile. "Guess that's one-way of telling me to shut up." He said then turned his head sideways and shoved against my legs.

"I'll miss you. And Su and Lu. So much. And… I love you too." He said, tears streaming sideways onto the ground with a light slap. I felt my heart break but I knew I was going back. I fought it for a little longer as I leaned over and wrapped Edmund in a partial hug from his position on the floor, placing an affectionate kiss to his ravenous hair.

_I'll be back for you soon _I said as I pulled back. He smiled and then my vision blurred. I felt a sharp tug and the room was no more.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

When I felt myself back in my room in the Cair, the first face I saw was Lucy, peering over me excitedly.

"Well?" She asked desperately as I ran a hand over my face.

"I saw him." I replied, face devoid of emotion. Lucy grinned. "And?" she prompted anxiously. I met her eyes with sincerity.

"Lu, you don't want to know." I said. Lucy swallowed thickly.

"How bad is it?" she asked in a voice barely above a whisper. All my emotions threatened to break loose and I buried my face in my hands.

"Bad." I said, my voice cracking. Lucy ran hand over my back, trying to comfort me as my emotions that I had suppressed with Ed all threatened to take hold.

"The brutes." I continued, tears rushing out of my eyes rapidly. "They were… Lucy, we need to get him back, soon."

"And so you shall, Majesty." A voice came from the door. Both Lucy and I turned to see Oreius standing in the doorway, looking anxious. He bowed low.

"The army is ready to leave, my liege, and Chellur has found a short cut to the area of the sell." My mind barely comprehended his words; too ecstatic was I at this new turn of events.

"We can get Ed back before they realize he's not High King."

AN: The song Peter sings is the chorus to a song by Manafest. Its really pretty if you want to check it out. About the other updates, I don't know when I will be able to load them because my grandmother is over and my parents don't like me on my laptop when she is here.


	12. Chapter 12: Escape

Narnia's Last Defense

Disclaimer: I don't own any of C.S. Lewis' work. I do own the Calormen group.

Author's Note: I am out of school and have rewritten much of the chapters lost for my other promised stories, so they should be up soon. I wanted to write Deepest Magic since everyone seems to like that more, but I need inspiration for that one and I already know exactly what will happen here. For those of you who are still with me, thank you so much! I dedicate (oh my, yes I shall dedicate) this chapter to all my faithful readers and reviewers, thank you, thank you! To Leave the Shadowlands is up, if anyone is interested.

Chapter 12: Escape

Edmund knew he needed to make a move, quick. He stood with two men he hadn't seen yet on the voyage, and he knew that he didn't have much time left. He pretended to sag pitifully to the ground under the weight of his crushed leg. The men laughed and jerked him up, but made him to stand on his own.

He knew it was only a matter of time before someone more… intimidating came along, and then he would lose the opportunity to make a break for it. Edmund quickly scanned the area. He was on land, finally. To the left, not far in the distance was a small clearing. Forests that stretched beyond eyesight in every direction surrounded the clearing. Mountains stretched out in the distance and with a small spark of hope, and confusion, he realized the company had come into the southern part of Narnia, just north of Archenland. Hope because he knew he was now in Narnia. Confusion because he had thought this particular area to be abandoned. Not only that, but the men who held him captive were most certainly from Calormen. If his directions were correct, they were south of Glasswater Creek and just barely north of Stormness Head.

The dock they were now waiting at was little more than a few wooden planks put together, with a dirt trail to the village. There were a few barrels from the ship that had been left at the dock since the rest of the crew had traveled up river towards the mountains.

Edmund himself was gagged but he had no bounds on his hands, seeing as he needed his arms to balance. It also made it easier for the men to grab him. Edmund searched desperately for any sword or dagger of some kind but found none in the area. The only advantage to that, the guards didn't have any either. They had measure of rope and the burly one on the right carried a whip to be menacing. So no swords. _Which shouldn't be too much of a problem…_ Edmund thought.

He readied himself, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. _Dear Aslan help me. _The man on the right seemed to think it a sign of weakness coming from his oh-so-defiant captive and nudged his back to throw off his balance. His hands shot out to steady himself and he glared daggers at the guard. The man just laughed.

As he went to push Edmund again, the young king spun around on one leg quicker than the man thought possible and grabbed his wrist, twisting it harshly and grinning as it gave way and cracked. Not even stopping for a moment, he pulled the appendage in his grasp down and towards him. With his injured arm, which had been healing of its break but not the arrow wound, Edmund swung his fist in such power that when it connected with the man's head, his eyes rolled back and he dropped to the ground with a slight puff of dust.

He immediately crouched with his injured leg before him as the other man swung at his head. He spun as he got up, turning to face his new opponent. The man looked quickly from his unconscious man to Edmund, and his eyes hardened. Growling, he thrust his arm at Edmund's weak chest. The young king quickly dodged the blow but was not expecting the foot that came out and kicked his injured leg.

Edmund moaned in agony, his vision going blurry as he tried to focus on his opponent. The other man seemed to enjoy his apparent success, and had paused for a moment to breathe. Edmund followed his example, taking in huge gulps of air to pacify the extreme pain shooting from his leg. Closing his eyes, Edmund calmed his breathing and lifted his injured leg precariously off the ground. The other man stood confused as to what Edmund was doing. The king spread his arms for balance and stared the man down, confusing him. The man, who obviously thought the fight was over, didn't move for the time being. With a flash of adrenaline, Edmund spun around then propelled himself of the ground in a back flip. He straightened his injured leg, letting it go first then striking the man in the head with his other leg as it came down. Even as the man was falling to the ground, Edmund landed on his uninjured leg and made sure to keep from letting his injured leg feel the jar of the impact.

The man crumpled to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut. Panting deeply, Edmund sat on the ground, desperately trying to get the world to stop spinning. He bowed his head low and fought the nausea rising in him. His leg felt like it had been newly broken and it took all Edmund had to not pass out as he had when he had first received the wound. He looked up river for any sign of the ship that had been his traveling hell but it was nowhere to be found. Whatever Zoheram had gone to do, it seemed to be taking quite a bit of time. But Edmund knew he didn't have forever, he needed to leave the area soon.

With a force of will he didn't know he possessed, Edmund grit his teeth and surged to his foot, trying to balance on it. He tested his injured leg and when he found he could fairly limp on it, he quickly made for the forest. _Need help_ was the only thing his numb mind processed.

As soon as he broke through the tree line, he leaned on a tree for support, fire spreading through his body through his leg. Breathing deeply and praying for strength, Edmund pushed off his support and began again, heading in no particular direction, only north. He didn't know the area too well, the south was Susan's territory and it was so close to the Archenland border that he knew neither he nor his siblings had explored it before. Which also meant he knew of no creatures living in the area. Despite the fact, Edmund continued on, determined to find someone to get him help.

It didn't last long. Not many minutes later, the pain was too much and he sank to the forest floor. The world was spinning again and black spots were filling Edmund's vision. _Peter, I need help, I need help…_

As he drifted into unconsciousness, he vaguely saw a woman lean over him worriedly, but her face was too contorted with black dots that he couldn't make out features. And then he was fading.

Author's Note: okay, I will leave it at that for now and let you imagine who the woman is! Don't worry, the story ain't over yet! Please review! And I am so sorry for the length but the next chapter will be longer, promise!


	13. Chapter 13: Help

Narnia's Last Defense

Disclaimer: Don't own Narnia or any creation of C.S. Lewis. I do own Gahara and Delilah!

Author's Note: I can't wait for the action that shall be coming soon in this story and I was quite pleased when this chapter seemed to write itself, because I really just want to write action! Although, I am pleased with how this chapter came out. Please tell me if this chapter is better then the others; I decided to write it out on paper before typing so…

Chapter 13: Help

Edmund wasn't too aware at the moment. He had woken, but his limbs were so lethargic he couldn't move them very well and his eyes pretty much refused to open. His head pounded and his arm still felt like hell, but for some reason the rest of his injuries seemed to have sunk into a general numbness instead of a fiery pain. Edmund desperately wanted to open his eyes; through the fog in his mind he knew he had been saved by the woman figure he had seen. Part of him hoped the mystery woman had been one of his sisters, but the rest of him knew that couldn't be the case. If he was with his family, he wouldn't be semi-conscious and all of the pain would have gone completely thanks to Lucy's cordial.

Edmund wasn't stupid. He knew that this woman figure could be any number of things, from a naiad or dryad to a witch or hag. Regardless, the thing had saved his life and he longed to meet his savior.

A fresh wave of heat crashed over his tortured bodied and he moaned piteously. Infection. That would explain the fever, the pain in his shoulder, the lethargic feeling of his limbs. His whole body was burning and Edmund almost laughed at the irony. He had survived ice just to be destroyed by fire.

A wonderfully cool rag mopped his forehead and there were calm words being whispered into his ear. He couldn't make them out, but he leaned toward the comfort gratefully. He tried to distract himself from the flames licking around him by trying to determine the words. They were too soft to hear, as if spoken on the breeze.

Wispy fingers prodded the wound on his shoulder gently and Edmund moaned at the agitation. There was a quiet tutting noise then the cloth was left on his forehead and the comforting presence got up. Trying not to panic, Edmund concentrated hard and barely made out the sound of grinding leaves. Then he heard water bubbling and the air became hot. It was almost too much for Edmund; he thrashed his head in an effort to escape the unbearable heat.

The cloth was removed from his forehead then quickly replaced. It was cooler and made Edmund much calmer. The fire receded slightly and breathing became easier. Mere moments later, he felt a cold glass rim touch his lips. From experience and instinct, Edmund tilted his head back and parted his lips. A cool liquid that tasted of mint slid easily down his throat.

The effect of the liquid was immediate. The world tipped and spun precariously, quickly fading away as Edmund felt a weight hit his chest. Edmund could only pray he didn't just drink poison before he blacked out.

_Ugh, Peter is going to kill me…_

OOOOOOOO

Peter, for his part, was thinking along the same lines, but for different reasons. As the rescue party headed for Stormness Head, where the sell was allegedly supposed to take place, Peter had taken the time to… associate himself with Gahara. At first, the Squirrel had been reluctant to hand out information, as he had orders from Edmund to keep all things related to the King's Men away from Peter, but the older boy forced his High King rank to get the details out.

But that wasn't why Peter was going to kill Edmund, oh no, not by a long shot. As mission by mission were revealed to a shocked High King, Peter felt the need to go rescue Edmund just so he could strangle the young king himself. Many times Peter had thought Edmund to be on a diplomatic mission when he had really been on some dangerous escapade. On some of these occasions, Peter learned that Edmund's only saving grace had been some of Lucy's cordial.

Which brought up another wonderful tidbit of information. Lucy knew about the group and hadn't told Peter. Apparently, Edmund had been gravely injured (not the first time) saving one Josiah from enemy clutches and there had been no hope but to go to Lucy. After healing and chastising him, she had agreed to keep the group secret if Edmund promised to take a vial of some of the fireflower juice with him. While he was happy that Lucy made sure Edmund was safe, he couldn't help feel angry and a bit hurt that he wasn't told.

After Gahara had reluctantly filled the High King in, Peter rode away from the group to let his anger simmer. If he was completely honest, he would admit that most of his anger was directed at himself, at how he had failed to protect his baby brother, even after the promise he had silently made on the bloodied fields of Beruna.

After he had rode far enough ahead of the group, he stopped his horse, Tierre, and dismounted. He was in a small clearing, a tiny patch of sky peering above from within the confines of a tight circle of trees. Blinking back hot tears, Peter knelt on the damp grass and bowed his head low. He drew his sword and thrust it into the ground before him, touching his forehead to the lion's head on the hilt reverently. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply of the Narnian air. Peter began praying before he even processed what he was saying.

"Aslan, my Lord, I beseech thee. Keep Edmund safe, preserve him, heal him. Watch him when I cannot, hold him up. Please, dear Aslan… save your son."

Tears began leaking through his clenched eyes as his prayer became more personal.

"Dear Aslan, I'm so scared. What do I do? He's all by himself, in so much pain… I just want to take it all away. Please, Aslan, help me save my brother. I… I love him too much to lose him."

A warm breeze ruffled Peter's hair and he smiled. Because Aslan's response was not an ear-shattering roar or a booming voice. Instead, a soft purr intertwined with the wind.

"Keep him safe," Peter whispered to the sky.

OOOOOOOO

When Edmund again awoke, the first thing he realized was that the flames and suffocating heat had gone down to a point where he was at least more aware of his actions. His shoulder still hurt as if the injury was just given, and his head still felt as if his jumbled thoughts were swimming, but he quickly realized the lethargic feeling he had suffered before had lessened in intensity. Edmund desperately wanted to open his eyes, as he could hear a soft humming coming from somewhere beyond the darkness, but it was hard to stave off the heaviness of his eyelids. Calming his breathing, Edmund focused on the sole task of making his lids open. After what seemed like hours, he finally was able to crack his eyes open.

As soon as his eyes were exposed to the open air, a blinding light assaulted them and he groaned piteously, turning his heavy head to try and escape the hazardous glow. There was a soft gasp in the place of the humming before the sound of cloth being moved. As the cloth moved, the lights dimmed and Edmund was able to open his eyes wider and have his first look around since he had passed out in the woods.

He appeared to be in a dark room with walls of solid rock. The figure that he had yet to meet was somewhere behind him, as was the window. From what Edmund could see, there was a small, homely fireplace to his right surrounded by bookshelves. The shelves were simply stuffed with books and Edmund automatically felt a curiosity to find out what they contained. The decorations on the wall appeared to be made of flowers and various greens, reminding the young king of his own quarters in the Cair. He always loved to be around plants and leaves, they reminded him of the great Western Wood to which he was named and to which he had a great love for.

When Edmund's keen eyes finished their loop of the room, he vaguely heard the figure coming closer. Fearing the consequences of his actions but doing them none-the-less, Edmund called out to the mysterious being.

"H-hello?" His voice was piteously weak and just the task of talking sent him into a small coughing fit. At the sound of his discomfort, the figure gasped again and skirted around Edmund's bed, going to the fireplace and getting a rag out of the pot sitting there. The boy's eyes widened when he realized just what his savior was.

"Hold on, King Edmund, and we'll get a rag on that throat soon," the dryad spoke in an airy voice as she turned to her charge and put the rag on his throat. For whatever reason, the heat in the cloth seeped into his skin and made his throat feel significantly better.

"Thank you, milady. May I have your name?" he asked as cordially as his soft voice would allow. The dryad smiled and ran a hand through his hair then over his forehead, checking his temperature. Obviously not pleased with her findings, she 'tut'-ed softly and removed the rag. As she grabbed a new one out of a different bowl by his bedside, she wrung it out then placed it on his head.

"My name is Delilah, my King. If it is not too much to ask, why were you out in the woods with so many injuries?" she asked in a voice slightly harsher then her first tone. Edmund bit his lip, not particularly wanting to relay exactly what had happened to him.

"It's a bit difficult to talk about, Lady Delilah, but I was taken by Calormen men and tortured," here he shuddered as he remembered the mammoth hands inclosing around his all-too-small neck, "mercilessly. I finally escaped and I guess that is when you found me." After his very short talk, Edmund was appalled to note how worn out he felt. Delilah seemed to pause in her ministrations before she turned around to a small table holding many vials of medication. She grabbed one with a green paste and turned back, opening the lid quickly and tossing it a little more ferociously then necessary. Edmund frowned at the odd behavior. "Delilah?" It was mostly a weary whisper.

"I am sorry, King Edmund, but I am appalled by the inhumane ways of these beasts. If I ever run into those monstrosities…" she trailed off as she began to apply the paste to his neck, where the bruises must have remained. Edmund was shocked at the heated display shown by a dryad, whose people are usually peaceful and gentle. If his sister Susan were to become any creature that inhabited Narnia, she would certainly become a beautiful dryad. Before Edmund could question his newfound friend, Delilah continued. "This cave belongs to Faun Mialle, who went to go gather herbs for your shoulder wound. I informed a Sparrow named Swift of your situation and he is en route to Cair Paravel. Help will arrive soon."

For whatever reason, Delilah's soothing voice was trailing off for Edmund as his vision became engulfed in flames again and the searing heat came back. There was a rushing sound in his ears as he heard Delilah's startled yelp. "S'kay" he managed to make out before the heated darkness came back to claim him.

Author's note: I know the end sounded rushed, but I wanted to show that his symptoms are coming and going quickly. As for Delilah's character, when I thought of her a couple of weeks ago, I automatically realized I wanted a kick-butt dryad. Thus, Delilah was formed! She was actually created a couple of chapters ago for a different fic I am working on. Please Review and thank you all my reviewers who have been reviewing this story! Hope you enjoyed.


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